Should we send messages that self-destruct on WhatsApp?

"You have to think twice before sending any publication on WhatsApp," warns Borja Adsuara, an expert lawyer in digital law, before the new function that gives the sender the possibility of approving or denying the possibility of downloading the content sent, recently announced to hype and cymbal by Mark Zuckerberg.

Although WhatsApp has a high level of security and privacy thanks to its end-to-end encryption, one should keep in mind that there is always a risk that shared information could be viewed, shared or stored by third parties.

Zuckerberg hasn't hesitated to describe the new feature as a "superpower."

Is it really?

Temporary WhatsApp messages allow users to send content that automatically disappears after a set period of time chosen by the sender himself.

This feature was designed to improve privacy and control over conversations on the platform;

now, when sending a message or multimedia content, the sender can choose to have it disappear after 24 hours, seven days or 90 days.

This configuration is specified per conversation, that is, you must specify with which person or group you want the messages to self-destruct after a while.

The delicate management of temporary messages

By enabling disappearing messages by default, you reduce the likelihood that shared information will remain stored on the devices of conversation participants.

Reducing this possibility reduces the risk of sharing content that the sender wants to keep to himself or share only with the specified recipient.

Sensitive information such as credit card number, account number or sensitive content such as a photo that may compromise the moral integrity of the person photographed.

With the new feature, the recipient sees a new button at the top of the chat that allows them to save this temporary message to their device.

Actually, it is a request, because the sender will receive an alert on their mobile screen indicating that the recipient wants to immortalize the temporary content, and the sender has the power to approve or deny this request.

However, these features do not completely eliminate the risks associated with losing control over shared information, as recipients can still take screenshots, or forward temporary messages before they disappear.

A slightly decaffeinated 'superpower'

The new feature adds an additional layer of security by informing the sender that the recipient is attempting to download or save an ephemeral message, and allowing or blocking this action.

But it is more of a declaration of intent than of real protection.

“It is an issue that generates a lot of confusion.

It is important to highlight that everything we publish on the internet, be it a blog or a social network, is no longer under our control”, explains Fernando Suárez, president of the General Council of Computer Engineering Colleges.

"Nothing prevents, for example, making recordings of the mobile screen and thus saving conversations or messages that can only be seen once or doing so before the sender deletes it," concludes Suárez.

This is because WhatsApp does not control what happens on the recipient's phone once the content appears on their screen: it can be captured, or the message can be copied, without the sender being aware of it.

Does this mean that whoever sends it is completely unprotected?

The answer is 'no': “There is a novelty with the non-consensual retransmission of sexual images and that is that with the Law of 'only yes is yes' it can constitute a crime”, explains Borja Adsuara.

In other words, the new function does not technically prevent the capture of temporary information, but the sender is protected against further dissemination of the information.

This expert refers to article 197.7 of the Penal Code, which penalizes with prison sentences "of one to three months whoever, having received the images or audiovisual recordings, disseminates, reveals or transfers them to third parties without the consent of the affected person".

However, experts view this new function as a step forward in defending the privacy of information circulating on the Internet.

“I see something positive in this measure.

Not so much in the functionality of WhatsApp itself, but precisely in that critical analyzes of this novelty can generate collective awareness that even what a user deletes on the Internet can be recovered, sometimes even without their consent or knowledge”, he highlights. Fernando Suarez.

Where there is agreement on the part of the experts is to remember that it is the sender who must establish their own layer of protection, limiting as much as possible the information that could compromise them both on WhatsApp and on social networks.

When sending messages, you lose control over the shared information to some extent, and it can be forwarded, screen captured, stored in backup copies, or even viewed through third-party applications.

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