Aimee Walker
Mark Zuckerberg is warning Messenger users not to screenshot their chats.
The Facebook founder and CEO of parent company Meta, 39, launched the social media platform in February 2004 alongside his university roommates.
He went on to become the world’s youngest self-made billionaire in 2007 and has continued to have a huge involvement in the platform to this day.
Over the years, this has prompted political and legal attention, with there previously having been issues of user privacy amongst other problems.
And now Zuckerberg is sending out a huge warning to Facebook users.
Related Article: Elon Musk ‘Kissing A Robot’ In Bizarre Photo Is Leaving The Internet Baffled
Related Article: How To Stop Facebook Chirping Sound That Millions Of Users Have Been Affected By
It comes after Whatsapp launched a similar feature that makes messages disappear after seven days.
In a statement, a company representative explains: “We’re starting with seven days because we think it offers peace of mind that conversations aren’t permanent while remaining practical so you don’t forget what you were chatting about.
“Our goal is to make conversations on WhatsApp feel as close to in-person as possible, which means they shouldn’t have to stick around forever.”
The new Facebook messenger feature is also similar to one over on Snapchat, where your messages and images will disappear over a period of time.
The Messenger platform recently made it possible for users to set their messages to disappear.
Reports have suggested that the move comes following concerns around security, and a wider debate involving freedom of speech and online safety.
The feature’s proper name is Vanish Mode and to turn it on, you simply need to swipe up on your mobile device in an existing chat thread. Swipe up again and you’re back in regular mode.
Bridget Pujals, Messenger Product Manager, and Manik Singh, Instagram Product Manager, say in a statement (via USA Today): “We designed vanish mode with safety and choice in mind, so you control your experience.”
Related Article: Huge Facebook Glitch Saw App Auto-Sending Friend Requests After You Looked At Someone’s Profile
Related Article: Bill Gates’ Eldest Daughter Set To Inherit ‘Miniscule Portion’ Of Dad’s Fortune
Zuckerberg has revealed that an update on Messenger will notify users if someone screenshots a disappearing message, as the text is supposed to vanish after a specific period of time.
“New update for end-to-end encrypted Messenger chats so you get a notification if someone screenshots a disappearing message,” Zuckerberg writes in a post.
“We’re also adding GIFs, stickers, and reactions to encrypted chats too.”
The Facebook founder shared an exchange between him and his wife, Priscilla Chan. He makes a cheesy joke about a supercomputer and his spouse takes a screenshot, which demonstrates how the notification will work.
Do you have a story for us? If so, email us at [email protected]. All contact will be treated in confidence.
