Tech

Privacy Concerns Grow As WhatsApp Groups Show Up On Google Search!

By
OB Bureau

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

 

OB Bureau

Recent Posts

UP Woman, Three Children Shot Dead, Husband’s Body Found Hours Later

New Delhi: The bullet-riddled bodies of a 45-year-old woman and her three children, aged 25,…

November 5, 2024

Temple Attack In Canada: Political Space Given To Extremists, Says Jaishankar

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday expressed serious concerns regarding the increasing…

November 5, 2024

[Watch] Samantha Ruth Challenges Past Failures For A Better Future In Films

Mumbai: During an Ask Me Anything session, actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who had set the…

November 5, 2024

Senior Servitor Blames Heritage Corridor For Cracks On Boundary Wall Of Jagannath Temple In Puri

Puri: After Odisha's Law Minister, a senior servitor of Jagannath Temple in Puri has blamed…

November 5, 2024

One-Night Stands To Forced Abortions, Somy Ali’s Shocking Allegations Against Salman Khan

Mumbai: Salman Khan’s ex-flame Somy Ali, during a recent ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on Reddit,…

November 5, 2024

Odisha Govt Orders Transfer Of Ministerial Staff Of Registration Offices In 7 Days

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has ordered the transfer of all the ministerial employees of the…

November 5, 2024

Odisha Cong Leaders Seek Governor’s Intervention In Mango Kernel Deaths

Bhubaneswar: The Congress party has sought the intervention of Odisha Governor in death of two…

November 5, 2024

This Is How Anushka Sharma Wished Virat Kohli On His Birthday!

New Delhi: Anushka Sharma has once again shared the cutest birthday wish for her husband…

November 5, 2024