Your Photos Aren’t Safe on WhatsApp – Plus, New AI Features You Can’t Miss

Weekly newsletter on digital marketing, AI and tech! [image]( Hi {NAME}, This week’s newsletter dives into some intriguing developments across digital marketing, tech, and AI that you won’t want to miss. First up, there’s a concerning privacy flaw in WhatsApp’s View Once feature that’s got everyone talking. Imagine thinking your photos disappear after one view, only to find out they can still be saved on the web version—yeah, not so great! We’ll take a closer look at what this means for privacy-conscious users. Then, we’ve got Google rolling out some powerful new features in Google Analytics that make digging through your data easier and more insightful. Whether you’re a pro at analyzing traffic or just dipping your toes in, these updates will help you uncover trends and anomalies faster than ever before. We’ll also explore Google’s latest innovation in online shopping—a virtual dress try-on tool that uses AI to let you see how different styles would look on you before you buy. And with New York Fashion Week around the corner, this feature is turning heads for good reason. Lastly, YouTube is empowering creators with AI tools that not only protect their content but also enhance how they’re represented online. If you’re curious about how AI is shaping the future of content creation, this is one you’ll want to read. Let’s get into it! Cheers, Jeff What you need to know this week... Social Media WhatsApp's privacy flaw exposed A bug in WhatsApp's View Once feature allows users to bypass privacy protections on its web app. This feature, meant to ensure photos and videos disappear after viewing, is effective only on mobile apps. Security researcher Tal Beery discovered the issue and demonstrated it by saving a View Once image on the web app. He criticized the feature for providing a false sense of privacy. WhatsApp acknowledged the bug and stated updates are being rolled out. Meanwhile, discussions on social media and browser extensions promoting this exploit have emerged, highlighting the ongoing vulnerability. [TechCrunch](=) SEO Google analytics: New features for better reports The report enhancements allow visualization of up to five data rows in detail reports using plot rows. Users can uncover anomalies in data fluctuations, pinpointing unexpected trends in reports. Brief descriptions of each report are accessible by hovering over titles. Important events can be marked in the Events report for easy identification. A new Transactions report provides detailed insights into revenue streams through transaction IDs. Additionally, scope changes in acquisition reports now include user-related metrics in the User acquisition report and session-related metrics in the Traffic acquisition report, enhancing overall data analysis and reporting capabilities. [Google Support/Analytics Help]() Focus on quality content! Google's Danny Sullivan explained recent ranking updates and advised against drastic changes for better rankings. He emphasized that Google's algorithm improvements aim to highlight high-quality content from independent sites. Publishers whose rankings didn't improve should continue producing valuable content, as future updates may bring relief. Sullivan cautioned against modifying well-performing pages, as it could negatively affect rankings. He noted that feedback from publishers is reviewed but does not directly lead to individual recoveries. Overall, the focus should remain on creating quality content while Google continues to refine its algorithms to better reward smaller publishers. [Search Engine Journal](=) [Buy TikTok Views with Fast Delivery]( Advertising Google Ads: Switching to Demand Gen Video Action Campaigns will transition to Demand Gen in Q2 2025, improving performance and features. Advertisers can reach a wider audience using multi-format content that combines video and images. Early adoption is encouraged, with tools for easy campaign creation and migration. By March 2025, new Video Action Campaigns will be discontinued, shifting all existing campaigns to Demand Gen. DoorDash's success with Demand Gen highlights improved conversion rates and cost efficiency. Upcoming webinars and guides will support advertisers during this transition. Stay updated through Google Ads announcements. [Google Blog/Google Ads](=) [image] Reddit's smart ad approach Reddit's advertising strategy focuses on interest-based targeting, enhancing advertiser connections while prioritizing user experience. VP Jyotsna Vaidee discussed AI-driven solutions and auto-targeting, allowing advertisers to reach users based on demonstrated interests, even indirectly related. This method helps uncover unexpected audience connections, broadening reach. Reddit aims to balance ad monetization with user controls, ensuring a positive experience. New ad placements across the platform are accompanied by user preferences for content types. Additionally, full-funnel measurement tools like Reddit Brand Lift and Conversion Lift help advertisers assess campaign effectiveness. Marketers are encouraged to understand Reddit’s unique community dynamics for optimal engagement. [Search Engine Journal](=) eCommerce Google's virtual dress try-on tool Google has introduced a virtual try-on tool for dresses, enhancing online shopping experiences. This AI-powered feature allows users to visualize how dresses fit on diverse models, making it easier to choose the right style without the hassle of returns. The tool builds on previous successes with tops and uses a new generative AI technique called VTO-UDiT to ensure accurate representations of both the dress and the wearer. As New York Fashion Week showcases new collections, shoppers can pre-order select dresses directly from the runway via Google. This innovation aims to improve engagement and satisfaction for both shoppers and brands. [Google Blog/Shopping]() [image] Unifying product data for shopping In a recent episode of the "Search Off the Record" podcast, hosts John and Lizzy welcomed Irina Tuduce, a Google employee with 18 years of experience, who discussed her journey from the infrastructure team to the shopping sector. The conversation highlighted Google's initiative to unify schema.org markup and Merchant Center feed data for consistent product listings across shopping experiences. Tuduce emphasized that merchants should utilize both structured data markup and Merchant Center feeds to ensure reliable product information and visibility in Shopping results. She explained that while schema.org markup allows Google to extract product details during crawling, submitting data through Merchant Center ensures timely updates on inventory. This dual approach aims to streamline merchant workflows and enhance user experience by improving search accuracy. The episode concluded on a light-hearted note about future developments in this area. [Google Search Central/Let's talk shopping markup]() = Technology YouTube: Empowering creators with AI YouTube is developing tools to protect creators and artists while harnessing AI's potential. The platform will empower creators by giving them control over their likeness and representation through technologies like synthetic-singing identification and face management. Committed to responsible AI use, YouTube aims to enhance creators' rights, prevent unauthorized access, and provide greater control over third-party collaborations. The platform emphasizes adherence to Community Guidelines for AI-generated content, fostering a safe environment for innovation. [YouTube Official Blog](=) Check out Android's new features! Android introduces five new features to enhance user experience on phones, tablets, and Wear OS watches. First, Gemini TalkBack now provides detailed audio descriptions for images, improving accessibility for those with visual impairments. Second, the Circle to Search feature allows users to identify music instantly without switching apps. Third, Chrome now offers the option to listen to web pages read aloud, with customizable voice and speed settings. Fourth, the expanded Earthquake Alerts System provides life-saving warnings across the U.S. Finally, Wear OS watches now support offline maps, helping users navigate without cell service. More updates are expected with Android 15. [Google Blog/Android]() Urgent: Update LiteSpeed Cache now A critical unauthenticated account takeover vulnerability in the LiteSpeed Cache plugin has been patched. Users should update to version 6.5.0.1. Patchstack, LiteSpeed's security partner, facilitates vulnerability disclosures and offers protection services. The vulnerability allowed unauthorized access to logged-in users, potentially granting administrator privileges. Discovered by John Blackbourn, it exploited leaked HTTP response headers in a debug log file. The patch improved security measures, including relocating the log file and enhancing filename randomness. Users are advised to analyze and purge old debug logs. Collaboration between developers and security researchers is key to enhancing WordPress security. 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