How to avoid being tracked with a WhatsApp call

The first was the mobile phone what changed our lives. Not just the fact of carrying a line in our pocket that walks with us. But all the applications and possibilities of smartphones.

And when we thought we’d seen it all, WhatsApp has arrivedthe most popular instant messaging service in the world.

More and more people are using this service to make calls, as if it were just another phone.

At no cost and with the possibility of making it on video, practically anywhere in the world, this function is very advantageous nowadays.

But, at the same time, it represents a risk since it reveals information that could make it easier to locate the owner of the cell phone you are talking from.

How to avoid being tracked using a WhatsApp call

The IP (Internet Protocol) address is like ID of a device connected to the Internet and, in general, identifies the supplier company and not the user. However, cyber criminals are able to obtain a person’s IP address.

The cybersecurity company Kaspersky explains that “social engineering attackers can trick you into knowing a person’s IP address. For example, through a instant messaging application”.

THE Social engineering It involves a variety of deception-based tactics to obtain data or commit fraud.

In this context, Kaspersky advises: “If you chat with strangers using these applications, it is important to bear in mind that they can see your IP address.”

Criminals can know where you are

In case they are attackers, “they can do it track it simply spying on your online activity, because any activity can reveal it.”

With this data in their possession, “attackers can go to an IP address tracking website, write it down and get an idea of ​​your location.”

The next step is to “cross-reference it with other data and open source networks like Linkedin or Facebook to validate the address.”

If they know the IP address, attackers can use geolocation technology to identify region, city and state. “They just have to do a little digging on social media to identify your home,” warns Kaspersky.

How to stop being tracked

At the end of 2023, WhatsApp enabled a feature that allows you to hide the IP address during calls.

“This privacy setting retransmits all your calls through WhatsApp servers,” explains Meta, owner of the instant messaging service. And he adds that “this implies this will connect your call directly and your IP address will not be shown to the person you are calling.”

So, if you want to be protected, what you need to do is very simple.

To enable the security function, in Whatsappgoing Settings (the three vertical dots located on the right of the screen) and then Privacy. Click on Advance and activate the function Protect IP address in calls.