Stop doing it…Mark Zuckerberg Warns Facebook Users Not To Screenshot Chats👀

Mark Zuckerberg has issued a fresh warning to Facebook Messenger users, urging them to think twice before taking screenshots of their private conversations. His message has sparked widespread attention because it highlights a growing focus on privacy and user control across Meta’s platforms.

Zuckerberg, who co-founded Facebook with his college roommates at Harvard, is now the chairman, CEO, and controlling shareholder of Meta Platforms. Recently, he took to social media to remind users about a particular Messenger feature that keeps conversations more private. Although delivered in a lighthearted tone, the message carried a clear warning: **screenshots of disappearing messages will no longer go unnoticed.** Users will now receive an automatic notification whenever someone captures an image of a chat that was meant to vanish.

**What Is Vanish Mode?**

This update connects back to a feature Meta introduced in 2020 known as **Vanish Mode**. Vanish Mode allowed users of Facebook Messenger and Instagram to send temporary messages that disappeared as soon as the recipient viewed them and left the chat. It was designed to give people the freedom to speak in the moment without worrying about long-term privacy concerns.

Turning on Vanish Mode was simple: a person only had to swipe upward in an existing chat to activate it, and another upward swipe would return the chat to a standard format.

**The New System: Disappearing Messages**

Although Vanish Mode once held a prominent place in Messenger, the Facebook Help Center now states it is no longer supported. In its place, Meta is gradually introducing a different system called **disappearing messages**. These messages function in a similar spirit, but the rollout is happening slowly and may not appear for every user yet.

Meta explains that this feature serves the same purpose as Vanish Mode but with improved structure. The description clearly warns users about the new screenshot alert: **if someone takes a screenshot or begins a screen recording, an automatic notification will appear within the conversation.**

Zuckerberg demonstrated the new function through a playful interaction with his wife, Priscilla Chan. He shared a short conversation, and when she took a screenshot, the notification appeared instantly.

With these changes, Meta continues working toward a future where privacy is easier to maintain, communication feels safer, and users have more control over their digital interactions.