Meta is rolling out a new security feature for WhatsApp that couldn't come at a more critical time. Just days after facing a lawsuit alleging false privacy claims, the company unveiled Strict Account Settings - a lockdown-style protection layer that automatically blocks media from unknown senders, silences calls from strangers, and locks down user profiles. The timing raises questions about whether this is a response to mounting privacy scrutiny or a long-planned security enhancement.
Meta just handed WhatsApp users a nuclear option for privacy protection. The company's new Strict Account Settings feature acts like a digital fortress, automatically blocking media and attachments from anyone not in your contacts, silencing calls from unknown numbers, and locking down your profile visibility to contacts only.
The rollout comes at a delicate moment for Meta. According to Bloomberg, a lawsuit filed just days ago accuses the company of making false claims about WhatsApp's privacy protections. The complaint alleges that Meta "stores, analyzes, and can access virtually all of WhatsApp users' purportedly 'private' communications" - a direct challenge to the app's end-to-end encryption promises.
WhatsApp head Will Cathcart quickly pushed back, calling it a "no-merit, headline-seeking lawsuit" in a post on X. But Meta's rapid deployment of enhanced security features suggests the company is taking the privacy scrutiny seriously, even if publicly dismissing the legal claims.
The new feature works like a lockdown protocol for your account. When users enable Strict Account Settings through Settings > Privacy > Advanced, WhatsApp automatically activates two-step verification and security notifications that alert you when someone's security code changes - a potential sign of account compromise or surveillance attempts.
Link previews get disabled entirely under the strict mode, eliminating a common vector for malicious code delivery. The setting also blocks a high volume of messages from unknown senders, a tactic often used in spam campaigns and phishing attacks targeting high-value individuals.
