Previously we talked about WhatsApp working on a new feature that would notify if a shared link is suspicious, and now it’s operational.
Users can now find this feature in the beta of the WhatsApp for Android app, and test its dynamics. The operation is simple, if we receive a link that WhatsApp detects as irregular, it will be marked with a red label that says “suspicious link”, and a message that the link contains irregular characters, which may appear to be a website that is not.
WhatsApp alerts you if a link is suspicious
For example, confusing links could be created that play with the letters of popular websites in order to visually deceive the user, and direct them to a misleading page. The WhatsApp system detects such irregularities and creates the alert notification.
Of course, the user will eventually decide whether to open it or not, but WhatsApp has already made two attempts to persuade him to be careful with the content he has received. This feature is part of the new measures that WhatsApp is implementing to combat spam, fraud and false news.
At the moment, it is only visible to Android users, but will soon be extended to other platforms.