WhatsApp just flipped the script on messaging security. Days after Meta faced a lawsuit alleging false privacy claims, the company's rolling out Strict Account Settings - a lockdown-style feature that automatically blocks media from unknown senders, silences stranger calls, and walls off profile data. The timing isn't subtle. While Meta's fighting allegations it can access "private" WhatsApp chats, it's pushing a feature designed for journalists and public figures who need maximum protection from cyber attacks.
Meta is playing defense, but the company's calling it innovation. WhatsApp just started rolling out Strict Account Settings, a lockdown-style security layer that transforms the messaging app into a fortress against cyber attacks. The feature goes live globally over the next few weeks, arriving at a moment when Meta's privacy promises are under legal fire.
The new mode doesn't mess around. Turn it on and WhatsApp automatically blocks media and attachments from unknown senders, silences calls from numbers not in your contacts, and disables link previews entirely. The app also cranks up its filter to block high volumes of unknown messages - think spam waves and mass phishing attempts. According to Meta's announcement on TechCrunch, it's designed specifically for journalists and public figures who face elevated digital threats.
But Strict Account Settings goes deeper than blocking strangers. When users activate the feature through Settings > Privacy > Advanced, WhatsApp automatically enables two-step verification and security notifications. Those notifications ping you whenever someone's security code changes mid-conversation - a crucial alert if someone's trying to intercept your chats. Your last seen status, online indicator, profile photo, about section, and profile links all lock down to contacts-only visibility. Even group invites get restricted, so only people already in your address book can add you to new chats.
