WhatsApp tests a new anti-spam feature that detects shady links

WhatsApp may soon have a new weapon in the fight  against one of the most insidious forms of spam: shady links.

The messaging app is testing a new feature that can detect suspicious links within messages and warns users before they click, a company rep confirmed to Mashable.

The feature is aimed at a specific type of exploit favored by spammers and phishers: links that mimic legitimate URLs by using characters from other alphabets that look similar to other letters. In the example below, for instance, the URL in the message looks like a link to whatsapp.com, but the “w” character is actually an entirely different letter (note the small dot under the w). Read more…

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