Meta Rolls Out Incognito Chat for Private WhatsApp AI

Meta Platforms announced Wednesday the rollout of Incognito Chat, a new feature enabling WhatsApp users to hold private conversations with its Meta AI assistant that the company itself cannot access.

The feature, powered by Meta's Private Processing technology and Trusted Execution Environments, processes messages in a secure cloud setup where neither prompts nor responses are stored or visible to Meta. Conversations disappear by default upon exiting the session, closing the app, or locking the phone, ensuring no logs remain on servers. Users activate it via a dedicated icon in one-on-one chats with Meta AI, and it requires age confirmation since Meta prohibits users under 13 on its platforms. Initially limited to text interactions, it includes safety measures to redirect or refuse queries on harmful topics, eventually ceasing engagement if needed.

Meta stated the update addresses rising privacy worries as people increasingly consult AI on sensitive matters, such as health, finances, personal relationships, or work advice. "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...