WhatsApp is one of the most popular and widely used messaging apps in the world. With over 2 billion users, WhatsApp allows you to communicate with your friends, family, and colleagues through text, voice, video, and group chats.
However, WhatsApp also has some privacy and security risks that you need to be aware of. As a user, you may encounter harassment and stalking from strangers, acquaintances, or even people you know. Harassment and stalking can cause emotional distress, anxiety, fear, and even physical harm.
If you want to prevent harassment and stalking on WhatsApp, you need to take some proactive steps to protect yourself and your account. In this article, we will show you some expert tips and essential strategies that you need to know.
Tip 1: Adjust Your Privacy Settings
One of the first steps to prevent harassment and stalking on WhatsApp is to adjust your privacy settings. By default, WhatsApp allows anyone to see your profile photo, about, status, last seen, online status, read receipts, and live location. This can expose your personal information and activity to unwanted people. To prevent this, you can adjust your privacy settings to control who can see your information. You can set your profile photo, about, status, last seen, online status, read receipts, and live location to the following options:
- Everyone: All users can see your information.
- My Contacts: Only contacts from your address book can see your information.
- My Contacts Except…: Contacts from your address book, except those you exclude, can see your information.
- Nobody: No one can see your information.
You can also disable adding a location to your messages or sharing your live location with anyone. Furthermore, knowing how to hide your number on WhatsApp can significantly enhance your privacy, providing up to 50% more protection..
To adjust your privacy settings on WhatsApp, go to Settings > Account > Privacy. You can also access the privacy settings for each chat by tapping on the contact name or group name.
Tip 2: Freeze Your WhatsApp Last Seen Status
Knowing how to freeze your WhatsApp last seen status can be one of several steps you take to prevent harassment and stalking on WhatsApp, but it is not a foolproof solution.
By freezing your last seen status, you prevent others from seeing the last time you were online, which can help prevent them from tracking your activity on the app. However, it is important to note that this does not prevent someone from harassing or stalking you through other means, such as sending you unwanted messages or calls.
To protect yourself from harassment and stalking on WhatsApp, it is important to take additional measures such as blocking unwanted contacts, limiting who can see your profile picture and status, and setting up two-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized access to your account. It is also a good idea to report any abusive behavior to WhatsApp or law enforcement if necessary.
Tip 3: Block and Report Unwanted Users
Another step to prevent harassment and stalking on WhatsApp is to block and report unwanted users. Blocking a user will prevent them from sending you messages or calls on WhatsApp. Reporting a user will also notify WhatsApp about their abusive behavior and help them take action.
To block a user on WhatsApp, go to the chat with the user and tap on their name or number. Scroll down and tap on Block Contact. You can also block a user from their profile photo or from the blocked contacts list in the privacy settings.
To report a user on WhatsApp, go to the chat with the user and tap on their name or number. Scroll down and tap on Report Contact. You can also report a user from their profile photo or from the blocked contacts list in the privacy settings.
Tip 4: Avoid Sharing Sensitive or Confidential Information
Another tip to prevent harassment and stalking on WhatsApp is to avoid sharing sensitive or confidential information on the app. This includes your personal details, financial information, passwords, documents, photos, videos, or any other data that can compromise your privacy or security.
Even if you trust the person you are chatting with, you never know who might access their phone or account. Also, if you share something with someone on WhatsApp, they will have a copy of it and they can forward it or share it with others without your consent.
To avoid sharing sensitive or confidential information on WhatsApp, use other secure methods such as encrypted email or cloud storage. You can also use view once mode for photos and videos that disappear after they are viewed once by the recipient.
Tip 5: Use Two-Factor Authentication
Another tip to prevent harassment and Whatsapp hack is to use two-factor authentication (2FA). 2FA adds an extra layer of security to your account by requiring a verification code in addition to your phone number when you register your account on a new device.
This way, even if someone obtains your phone number or SIM card, they will not be able to access your account without the verification code. You can also set up an email address that can be used to reset your verification code if you forget it.
To enable 2FA on WhatsApp, go to Settings > Account > Two-step verification. Tap on Enable and enter a six-digit verification code of your choice. You can also enter an email address that can be used to reset your verification code if needed.
Tip 6: Be Careful of Phishing and Scams
The last tip to prevent harassment and stalking on WhatsApp is to be careful of phishing and scams. Phishing and scams are attempts to trick you into revealing your personal or financial information, or to install malicious software on your device.
Some common signs of phishing and scams on WhatsApp are:
- Messages or calls from unknown numbers or contacts that claim to be from WhatsApp, your bank, or other organizations.
- Messages or calls that ask you to click on a link, download a file, or provide your login credentials, verification code, or payment details.
- Messages or calls that offer you free gifts, prizes, discounts, or money in exchange for your information or participation.
- Messages or calls that threaten you with legal action, account suspension, or fines if you do not comply with their requests.
To avoid phishing and scams on WhatsApp, do not respond to or engage with any suspicious messages or calls. Do not click on any links, download any files, or provide any information that you are not sure about. Do not forward any messages that ask you to do so. Report and block any users that send you phishing or scam messages or calls.
Conclusion
WhatsApp is a convenient and useful app for communication, but it also has some privacy and security risks that you need to be aware of. By following the tips and strategies in this article, you can prevent harassment and stalking on WhatsApp and protect yourself and your account.