WhatsApp plans to open web links inside the app instead of Chrome or Safari, which raises a fair question about what an in-app browser can see.
WhatsApp is adding its own web browser inside the app. When someone taps a link in a chat, the page would open within WhatsApp instead of sending the person to Chrome, Safari or whichever browser they normally use.
Today, a link in a chat usually hands you off to your regular browser. With a built-in browser, you would stay inside WhatsApp the whole time. That can feel faster and simpler, since there is no jumping between apps.
The open question is privacy. An in-app browser can see more than a separate browser can, because the app itself is running the page. WhatsApp is owned by Meta, so it is worth checking what the app collects from the links people open.
The source story does not spell out what data would be collected, how it would be used, or whether people can turn the feature off. Those details are not known yet.
Anyone who gets links in WhatsApp chats, which is a lot of people. That includes family group chats, customer messages and shared news stories or documents.
No release date or full list of controls has been shared in the material available. Once WhatsApp explains how the browser works and what it records, people will be able to judge it more clearly.
Until WhatsApp explains what its built-in browser collects, open sensitive links in your regular browser.
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