Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook and head of its parent company, Meta Platforms, has issued a warning to users of Facebook Messenger about taking screenshots of their chats.
As the chairman, chief executive officer, and controlling shareholder of Meta, Zuckerberg has been instrumental in shaping the social media giant since its inception alongside his college roommates. His rise to prominence, along with the controversies and legal challenges he faced, were chronicled in the acclaimed film The Social Network.
Zuckerberg’s latest message to users serves as both a reminder and a warning: do not screenshot your conversations on Messenger.
The Vanish Mode Feature
In 2020, Facebook introduced a feature called Vanish Mode for both Facebook Messenger and Instagram. This tool was designed to make messages disappear after they had been viewed and the chat was closed. At the time of its launch, Facebook explained the reasoning behind the feature, saying:
“Sometimes a message is just spontaneous – something you want to say in the moment without worrying about it sticking around. That’s why we’re excited to introduce Vanish Mode on Messenger, which lets you send messages that disappear automatically.”
This feature could be activated by swiping up within a chat thread on a mobile device. Users could return to the original mode by swiping up again.
Transition to Disappearing Messages
While Vanish Mode was initially rolled out in the United States and later expanded to the European Union, it has since been discontinued. According to Facebook’s Help Center, Vanish Mode is now “no longer supported.” However, Facebook has introduced an alternative called Disappearing Messages, which are being gradually rolled out to users.
This updated feature can be accessed by clicking on the person’s name in an active Messenger conversation, navigating to the “Privacy and Support” section, and selecting “Disappearing Messages.”
Screenshot Notifications
The platform has also added a security layer to protect disappearing messages. If someone screenshots or screen records a conversation, the other party will receive a notification. Zuckerberg demonstrated this feature in a recent social media post, sharing an exchange with his wife, Priscilla Chan.
In his post, Zuckerberg highlighted the new update:
“New update for end-to-end encrypted Messenger chats so you get a notification if someone screenshots a disappearing message. We’re also adding GIFs, stickers, and reactions to encrypted chats too.”
The post included an example of the notification in action, with Zuckerberg humorously showcasing how his wife took a screenshot of their chat.
As Facebook continues to refine its features, Zuckerberg’s cautionary note underscores the importance of respecting privacy and understanding the implications of new security updates on the platform.