It is not the first time when data from WhatsApp is available on search engines. Yet again, WhatsApp groups are showing up on Google. WhatsApp enabled indexing of group chat invites. As a consequence, anyone could get a WhatsApp group join link by simply searching on the internet. Someone who finds a link can not only join a group but also see the participants, their profile photos, contact details and even the texts and posts shared on the group. Researched at Gadgets360 have verified the news.
WhatsApp Group Join Links are not the only issue!
Another old issue that seems to be resurfacing is the display of WhatsApp profiles in search results. Just like the issue mentioned above, a user’s contact details, profile picture and other information can be accessed on Google. Both these issues emerged in 2019. WhatsApp even addressed the issues saying “Since March 2020, WhatsApp has included the ‘no-index’ tag on all deep link pages which, according to Google, will exclude them from indexing.“
However, according to experts, adding the no-index is not a solution. As soon as a no-index tag is added to a link, it is immediately removed from Google listings. But, they happen to reappear in a few months. This is also a direct hit on users privacy. We have to understand, that a simple Google search can either fetch contact details of a user or the WhatsApp group join links. By this time, around 1,500 groups invite links, and 5,000 user profiles have already appeared in the search results.
In 2021, WhatsApp has changed its privacy policy, leaving users with no option but to comply with their data being shared with Facebook. In my opinion, such frequent integral breakdowns and repetition of the same concerns are not for a company’s image. Nevertheless, they are also coming up with some useful updates.
