Soon Whatsapp will warn you of 'dangerous links' sent to you

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 Every time someone shares a link with you over WhatsApp, you get a preview of the page's contents. Now this useful feature is getting a new addition which will alert users when they are sharing a potentially insecure link.

The feature is currently available on the 2.18.204 beta version of WhatsApp. Whenever a user receives a link to a third party website, WhatsApp will conduct a background check to verify the authenticity of the website and will alert the user  if it identifies something suspicious.

But that's not all, WhatsApp will inform the users once again when they tap on the link and give them the options between opening the link and going back. Reports are already confirming that this data is analyzed locally due to WhatsApp's encryption feature. But it also means that the feature scans the link loosely and makes a guess.

While the report does not clarify which links WhatsApp marks as suspicious, by looking at the shared screenshots, it is safe to assume that lack of HTTPS in the URL is one of the factors that would make WhatsApp doubt a link. As mentioned above, the link is not cross-checked against and active database of threats, due to encryption reasons. 

Meanwhile, mobile browsers including Chrome and Firefox come with alert systems which inform you when you're visiting an unsafe link. But with a large numbers of links shared, this feature appears to be very useful.

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