WhatsApp has launched a safety campaign dubbed ‘Stay Safe with WhatsApp’ to raise awareness about safer digital behaviors, highlighting features that will enable users to take control of their online safety and provide a safer messaging experience. The campaign will last three months.
According to a press statement issued on Wednesday, the campaign primarily focuses on teaching customers about its built-in product features and safety measures, which provide individuals with safeguards to help protect them from online scams, frauds, and account-compromising threats. The advertising emphasizes two-step verification to add an extra degree of security to the account, as well as blocking and reporting questionable accounts.
When resetting and validating your WhatsApp account, you can add an extra layer of security by using the Two-Step Verification option, which requires a six-digit PIN. This is useful if a SIM card is stolen or the phone is compromised.
“User safety is at the core of everything we do at WhatsApp, which is why we’re launching our safety campaign “Stay Safe with WhatsApp” to drive user awareness around WhatsApp’s safety tools and product features that can help keep users safe from online scams and frauds,” said Shivnath Thukral, Director, Public Policy India, Meta.
“Over the years we have added layers of security and protection with innovative features that empower users to take control of their online safety,’ Thukral added. Thukral further added this campaign is an important reminder for people on how they can safeguard themselves in today’s digital-first world.
Another key feature of this campaign is group privacy settings to ensure a safe messaging experience. WhatsApp’s privacy setting and group invite system allow users to decide who can add them to groups, increasing user privacy and preventing people from adding you to groups you don’t want to be a part of. If you find yourself in a group chat that’s not for you, you can choose to exit a group privately without having to notify everyone.