WhatsApp Allows you to Set all Chats to Disappear by Default

WhatsApp users are to be given the option to have their messages disappear after 24 hours, a change that drew immediate criticism from children’s charities. The company announced the change. WhatsApp, which has 2 billion users, said its mission was to “connect the world privately.”

WhatsApp introduced disappearing messages last year, with the option of deleting chats by default after seven days. Still, from Monday, that is offered in two new timeframes: 24 hours or 90 days. Users will also have the option to turn on disappearing messages by default for all new chats.

Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of WhatsApp parent, Meta, said on his Facebook page that not all messages need to stick around forever. WhatsApp said that there is a certain magic in just sitting down with someone in person, sharing your thoughts in confidence, knowing you are both connecting in private and in that moment.UK children’s charity, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), said the move was “poorly thought out” and would create a “toxic cocktail of risk” once combined with Meta’s plans for encrypting messaging on all its services including Facebook and Instagram.

Meta announced that end-to-end encryption would occur in 2023 at the earliest, a year later than expected. Announcing the move, Meta’s head of safety, Antigone Davis, said the company would be able to detect abuse under its encryption plans by using non-encrypted data, account information and reports from users.