Bhubaneswar: Adding to privacy concerns, WhatsApp groups are starting to show up on Google search again. User profiles and private groups, which first appeared in 2019 due to a technical glitch, were visible again. This lets anyone discover and join groups.
It also means phone numbers and profile photos of users are available on Google search.
In March 2020, WhatsApp clarified that it includes the ‘noindex’ tag on all deep link pages which won’t show up on searches.
Security expert Rajshekhar Rajaharia told NDTV Gadgets that chat.whatsapp.com is using robots.txt file that is used to make pages visible on Google search.
NDTV Gadgets on Monday reported that over 1,500 group invite links were available in search results. This means people can join by just clicking on those links.
WhatsApp has not responded yet.
The glitch couldn’t have come at a worse time as users around the world have spoken up against the new privacy policy of the Facebook-owned service and are increasingly flocking to alternatives like Signal.
Also Read: Demand Soars For Signal, Telegram As WhatsApp Debate Continues
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