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American freeware, cross-platform centralized and voice over messaging application, WhatsApp, has rolled out a new privacy setting that will allow all users to choose who can add them up to group chats.
WhatsApp gave users three levels of group invite privacy options, which users can select from.These three options include:
Everyone: This option allows any WhatsApp user to add you to a group.
My Contacts: This option lets anyone in your phone’s contacts add you to a group. If a WhatsApp user is not in your phone’s contacts, that user will not be able to add you to a group.
My Contacts Except: This option will let anyone in your phone’s contacts add you to a group except for certain contacts that you specifically want to exclude.
In cases where someone is trying to add you to a group but they aren’t included in one of the above permissions, the group admin will be prompted to send you an invite via a private WhatsApp message. WhatsApp says you’ll then have 72 hours before the invite expires to accept it.
According to WhatApp, the new feature help cut down on spam on the platform and give users more control over their “WhatsApp experience.”
But people are sceptical about the new feature, especially “everyone.”
A message that is being circulated on WhatsApp by Nigerians, warned that “people you don’t know can add you to unsolicited groups including loanshark and betting chats.”
It urged Nigerians to change their WhatsApp privacy settings.
Users can change privacy settings of their WhatsApp by selecting Settings screen in the WhatsApp app and then tapping Account > Privacy > Groups.