Meta says the new Incognito Chat feature is designed to handle AI requests without exposing them to the company.
The system is said to mask the users' IP addresses
Photo Credit: WhatsApp
WhatsApp has announced Incognito Chat with Meta AI, a new feature that lets users have private, temporary conversations with the company's AI assistant. The feature is aimed at people who want to ask sensitive questions involving personal matters, finances, health, or work without keeping a lasting record of the interaction. Incognito Chat is built on Meta's Private Processing technology and will begin rolling out to WhatsApp and the Meta AI app over the next few months.
Using an Incognito Chat opens a separate session with Meta AI on WhatsApp that only the user can access, according to Meta. These chats are not saved after they end, and messages disappear by default. Meta also says that neither it nor WhatsApp can view the contents of the conversation while it is being processed.
The company says that the Incognito Chat with Meta AI feature is optional and will be available on WhatsApp and the Meta AI app as the rollout expands in the coming months.
Meta also said that the Incognito Chat is powered by its Private Processing system, which is designed to handle AI requests without exposing them to the company. In simple terms, your messages are processed in a protected environment that is isolated from Meta's own servers, so the company says it cannot read what you ask or what the AI replies.
The tech giant also says the system hides identifying details such as your IP address and does not keep a record of the conversation after the session ends. Your messages remain encrypted while they are being processed, and the temporary chat is deleted automatically once you close it.
WhatsApp says the feature is meant to bring the same privacy-first approach that underpins end-to-end encryption to AI features that need cloud-based processing. Unlike regular AI chats that may retain conversation history for future responses, Incognito Chat starts with a clean slate each time and does not carry context over to later sessions, according to the company.
The company also revealed that it is working on Side Chat with Meta AI, another feature that will offer private AI assistance inside existing conversations without exposing the contents of those chats.
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