YouTube Messages is getting rid of its private messaging feature soon. The feature which allowed users to share videos, posts and other messages with each other, under YouTube Messages, was first introduced in January 2017, but unfortunately will be turned off by September 18th, 2019, the company announced this week on Wednesday (21.08.2019)
In the video app’s Community Support section, a YouTube employee wrote, “Heads up We’re removing the ability to message directly on YouTube after September 18. Two years ago, we launched a feature to enable you to share videos via direct messages on YouTube. Since then, we’ve also focused on public conversations with updates to comments, posts, and stories. We’re constantly reevaluating our priorities and have decided to discontinue YouTube’s native direct messaging feature while we focus on improving public conversations.”
YouTube Messages allowed users to share clips with their contacts, chat with them, and even start group conversations with up to 30 people. The feature first launched within YouTube’s mobile apps and eventually made its way to the web as well.
YouTube, a service which is under Google, boasts of great popularity in video streaming making it the number one sought-after video application.
Meanwhile, Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri, has dismissed a meme which appeared on the social media’s account regarding the use of users’ private photos and messages as evidence in court should a dispute arise.
The meme, which appeared as a block of text, went viral on Tuesday (20.08.2019) claiming that the social platform is planning to roll out new changes to its privacy policy to let old messages and private photos be used in court cases against its users.
“Heads up! If you’re seeing a meme claiming that Instagram is changing its rules tomorrow, it’s not true.” Mosseri wrote in a post on his Instagram.
“Everything you’ve ever posted becomes public from today,” the post stated. “Even messages that have been deleted.”
As seen by CNN Business “The message urges users to share the image, saying that it would “give notice to Instagram [that] it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, or take any other action” against anyone who reposted it.”
Instagram together with its parent company Facebook has, in recent months, faced a lot of criticism over their failure to deal with the spread of misinformation and data protection policies on their platforms.