Invitation links to chat groups in Whatsapp are indexed by Google as soon as they are shared on public internet forums outside the app, reports The Verge. This means that anyone can access and join the chat if they find the link through Google's search engine.

Once a person has joined the group, they will have access to all previous messages and pictures, as well as phone numbers and names of the other participants.

Calls for caution

In an email to The Verge, Alison Bonny, spokesperson for Whatsapp, writes that "links that users want to share privately with other people they know and trust should not be shared on a public website".

It's not the first time Facebook-owned Whatsapp gets into blustery weather. Last year, the app discovered that several users were receiving messages and calls monitored through a spyware program. It has also been found that the feature for deleting posts and pictures from chat conversations only removes the pictures from the chat window but not locally on the iPhone devices, which has upset users.