Recently, Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma raised alarming alarms about WhatsApp chat privacy in India. He notified users via social media
Sharma said Meta AI could potentially read WhatsApp group chats. But he advised users to change their privacy settings now. Sharma said WhatsApp gave the Meta AI access group chats now. Sharma suggested flipping on “Advanced Chat Privacy” in account privacy settings will turn off any data from WhatsApp, which may share it with Meta AI.
This option offers features that stop the export or summary chats for use by AI. This option also stops media files from being saved to be used in AI tools. The option will be found in the group info section. This setting is off by default.
Overall, WhatsApp denied all ways that Meta AI can read group chats. The company said that WhatsApp chats are protected with end-to-end encryption. Enterprise Meta or WhatsApp cannot read private or group messages without permission. Meta AI can read chats if users enter “@MetaAI” into their chats. Using “@MetaAI” or “Meta AI” is the only manual trigger to enable Meta AI for any conversation.
WhatsApp said users will use all AI tools only at their own option.
You can completely deactivate Meta AI in your account settings.
The new Advanced Privacy setting gives you more control over chat safety.
🚨IMP If you are part of WhatsApp group. Today onwards WhatsApp is allowing ai to read chats. ‼️‼️
So enable this setting to block it. pic.twitter.com/VhJomO4Msd— Vijay Shekhar Sharma (@vijayshekhar) August 19, 2025
Did WhatsApp change its privacy policy?
No, WhatsApp claims that its privacy policy has not changed.
Does Meta AI qualify group chats automatically?
No, it doesn’t qualify a group chat until a user activates it by saying, “Hey @MetaAI”.
Can users disable Meta AI fully?
Yes, users can deactivate/turn off Meta AI features any time in their settings.
The viral claims from the Paytm founder incited a debate on privacy. WhatsApp came forth with reassurance that the chats are safe and still encrypted.
That said, users should review their privacy settings often and keep those settings up to date for additional protection.
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