Calls on WhatsApp are (optionally) getting even more secure for the app’s most privacy-minded users.
According to The Verge* WhatsApp just added a new “protect IP address in calls” toggle to its settings that shields your IP from whoever’s on the other side of a call. When activated, calls will be relayed through Meta / WhatsApp servers, thus concealing your true IP address.
“Most calling products people use today have peer-to-peer connections between participants. This direct connection allows for faster data transfers and better call quality, but it also means that participants need to know each other’s IP addresses,” WhatsApp’s Daniel Sommermann, Sebastian Messmer, and Attaullah Baig wrote. “IP addresses may contain information that some of our most privacy-conscious users are mindful of, such as broad geographical location or internet provider.” But the enhanced privacy doesn’t come without tradeoffs; WhatsApp notes that the new setting “will reduce call quality.” The company also emphasized that calls are always end-to-end encrypted — even when the new relay option is being used.
Privacy concerns have often overshadowed many communications apps, but WhatsApp are clearly attempting to put the users first by offering extra security features to their userbase. Many people assume end-to-end encryption means that their calls are fully private, but the recipient to any call has always been able to locate the caller’s IP address and vice versa. Privacy-minded users (and ideally others too) will now be able to hide their IP address meaning they will remain better protected from preying eyes especially when more businesses and people turn to WhatsApp for initial contact these days.
There can sometimes be a slight trade-off for added security measures and in this case, a dip in voice quality will hopefully not be too noticeable. Users need a balance of convenience along with the same level of functionality if security is going to work well. If users don’t notice this drop in quality, then it should be easy for users to take on and remain safer online. The next step would be to offer the ability to verify users to combat the increasing use of deepfake voice clones which are being used in more widespread scams. Another downside could potentially be that scammers and nasty advertisers misuse the feature to hide their true location as well. That’s why it is important to additionally activate the relatively new feature “Silence Unknown Callers” as well to automatically block such ill-intended callers.
by Jake Moore, ESET
*ESET does not bear any responsibility for the accuracy of this information.
ESET Ireland 