Meta Platforms has announced the rollout of an “incognito” mode for WhatsApp users, enabling private conversations with its AI chatbot. The feature aims to address privacy concerns surrounding sensitive information shared during AI interactions.
According to a blog post, incognito chat mode allows temporary, private conversations with Meta AI. Messages will be processed in a “secure environment” inaccessible even to Meta, will not be saved by default, and will disappear when the session ends.
Generative AI systems have faced privacy scrutiny due to their reliance on large language models trained on vast datasets, sometimes including user-provided personal information. Rival chatbots like Google’s Gemini and ChatGPT already offer similar privacy controls, such as disabling chat history or opting out of data training.
Will Cathcart, Meta’s head of WhatsApp, stated that users often ask sensitive questions involving financial, personal, health, or work data. “We’re starting to ask a lot of meaningful questions about our lives with AI systems, and it doesn’t always feel like you should have to share the information behind those questions with the companies that run those AI systems,” he told reporters.
The incognito mode includes safety features to prevent the chatbot from answering harmful queries. Cathcart explained that the system will “steer the user towards helpful information if it can and then refuse (to answer) and eventually even just stop interacting with the user completely.” Users will only be able to type questions and receive text responses, with no image upload or generation capabilities. Age verification is required, as Meta prohibits users under 13 on its platforms.
