Users have been advised by Mark Zuckerberg to refrain from taking screenshots of their conversations, unless they wish to be discovered in the act.
The Facebook founder and CEO disclosed that Messenger’s most recent update may result in users receiving notifications when another individual captures a screenshot of their conversation.
In January 2022, Zuckerberg published a Facebook post on the topic of “New update for end-to-end encrypted Messenger chats so you get a notification if someone screenshots a disappearing message.”
The post included a screenshot of Zuckerberg’s conversation with his wife, Priscilla Chan, to illustrate the functionality of the new notifications.
“We’re also adding GIFs, stickers, and reactions to encrypted chats too,” said the executive. The announcement was made in response to the recent disappearance of messages, which was another significant update to Facebook’s popular Messenger platform.
This feature is already present on numerous competitor social media platforms, including Snapchat, and it enables users to send messages that will rapidly disappear from the screen.
According to The Independent, the feature has been implemented in the United States and is anticipated to be handed out to European Facebook users next.
Snapchat has been a popular feature for several years, and screenshot notifications are already available.
According to reports, the update, which will also affect Instagram, which is owned by Meta’s parent company, was implemented in response to security concerns.
In the interim, the response to Zuckerberg’s post, which has garnered more than 94,000 comments, was a divided bag.
A significant number of individuals emphasized that there are numerous methods to manipulate the screenshot notification.
One individual wrote, “I suppose a screen recorder will suffice.” “What if someone used another mobile phone to take a photo of the conversation?” inquired another.
“Now we will use another mobile for capturing photo instead of screenshot,” a third participant concurred.
“You deactivate the wifi/data, then take a screenshot. You reactivate it and continue messaging like a hero,” added a fourth tech-savvy user.
The update was met with disapproval by others, who recommended that Facebook allocate its resources to more urgent matters.
“I must admit, your accomplishments are truly remarkable.” Nevertheless, I wish that the same amount of effort were directed toward improving the quality of real life for humanity,
rather than the virtual one. One individual wrote, “Nothing will ever surpass the value of human-to-human interaction and connection.”
