Meta AI Accessing Personal Chats On WhatsApp? Here’s The Full Fact Behind Viral Message

A message instructing the WhatsApp group admins to “urgently” switch on the ‘Advanced Chat Privacy’ feature of the messenger to prevent “AI agents” (referring to Meta AI) from “accessing” these chats has gone viral on social media platforms, with users worrying about their privacy on digital platforms.

The full text of the viral message can be seen below

“Attention : URGENT :- GROUP ADMINISTRATORS- Please Switch ON the option of Advanced Chat Privacy in ALL your personal WhatsApp chat groups. You will find it under View Contact. Whatsapp group chat will be vulnerable to AI cybersecurity challenges Therefore, each WhatsApp group administrator should switch on Advance Chat Privacy feature Otherwise, all AI agents can legally access into all the group chat members’ messages as well as individual chats /contacts.” 

Several X and Facebook users shared the viral message insinuating that Meta AI reads all personal chats on WhatsApp. Such posts can be seen here, here and here.

Newschecker received the claim on our WhatsApp tipline (+91-9999499044) requesting to be fact checked. 

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Fact Check/Verification

We began our investigation by examining WhatsApp’s release about the ‘Advanced Chat Privacy’ feature, to understand its functionality. The setting is available for both individuals and group chats. It prevents users from taking content outside of the messaging platform, ensuring extra privacy, as per the statement. 

“When the setting is on, you can block others from exporting chats, auto-downloading media to their phone, and using messages for AI features. That way everyone in the chat has greater confidence that no one can take what is being said outside the chat,” read the release published on April 23, 2025.

The ‘Privacy’ section of the WhatsApp Help Centre also lists the same (above mentioned) functions of ‘Advanced Chat Privacy’ feature. It further notes that the feature is not available in chats with businesses that choose to use WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, to store messages and respond to customers on their behalf.

It does not indicate anything about “AI agents accessing chats”, as alleged in the viral message. 

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Meta Can’t Read Personal Messages: WhatsApp 

Detailing about Meta AI, WhatsApp states that it is an optional service that responds to the messages/prompts sent by the users. The users also have the option of deleting such chats with the AI tool.

It further clarifies, “Only messages that mention @Meta AI, or that people choose to share with Meta AI, can be read by Meta. Meta can’t read any other messages in your personal chats.” 

WhatsApp’s new feature, that is currently available in limited countries, enabling Meta AI to generate message summaries also uses private processing technology which allows the AI assistant to process “messages off-device in a confidential and secure environment where no one, not even Meta or WhatsApp, can read or access your personal messages.”

“After Private Processing finishes responding to your request, the messages aren’t stored. Using Meta AI through WhatsApp, including features that use Private Processing, is always optional,” states the platform.

Notably, WhatsApp uses ‘end-to-end encryption’ when a user chats with another person using its platform, thereby keeping their personal messages and calls between sender and receiver.

The platform states that it collects “limited information” that could be used to personally identify the user and help it “work properly,” such as the phone number, name, details of the internet connection in order to send messages.

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Conclusion

Hence, the viral message, advising WhatsApp group admins to switch on a specific feature to prevent Meta AI from accessing personal chats, was found to be misleading.

Sources
Release By WhatsApp, Dated April 23, 2025
WhatsApp Help Center