WhatsApp announced several new privacy updates on Tuesday, including the ability for users to check their messages without others knowing.

The platform will soon allow people to control who can see them when they are online, and prevent others from taking screenshots of certain messages.

WhatsApp has more than two billion users worldwide and is owned by Meta, a subsidiary of Facebook.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the changes on Facebook and Instagram, saying the company "will continue to build new ways to protect your messages and keep them private and secure like face-to-face conversations."

WhatsApp has long promoted its use of end-to-end encryption, meaning only the sender and receiver of the message can see its contents.

Like other private messaging platforms, it already allows users to send messages that disappear after set time periods.

However, last year, WhatsApp was heavily scrutinized after updating its terms of service.

Many users expressed concerns about a section of WhatsApp's privacy policy that details what is shared with the parent company Facebook, which has a troubled reputation when it comes to user data protection.

Facebook tried to dispel confusion about the policy, saying its data-sharing practices are not new and do not "affect how people privately communicate with friends or family."

Now, two of the new features being introduced on WhatsApp – which will let you choose who can see you when you are active, and leave groups silently – will start rolling out to all WhatsApp users this month.

The screenshot blocking tool, which will be provided for messages intended to be viewed only once, is still under testing and will be made available later, according to WhatsApp.