That's another layer of protection for your account. Some users using the beta branch of WhatsApp are prompted to verify their accounts using their...
  • NicoCharrua@lemmy.caEnglish
    4·
    1 year ago

    If you go to the View Safety Number page of a chat, you’ll see that they’re changing the safety numbers. Here’s the explanation they gave.

    Image: Why are safety numbers being updated? // The legacy safety number format depended on phone numbers. The new safety number format does not. // In order to support upcoming features like usernames, where you will be able to start a conversation using someone's Signal username without necessarily knowing their phone number, the way that safety numbers are generated needs to be updated too. // On a technical level, the legacy safety number format is a numeric hash of the associated phone numbers and public keys. Instead of using phone numbers, the new safety number format is a numeric hash of the associated account IDs and public keys. // The set of public keys that are verified during the comparison process is exactly the same.

    I’m glad to see progress is being made! I wonder if after usernames are added people will use it to message people on the internet, like discord is used.