Chrome Goes Agentic & WhatsApp Tightens Security

Two major tech giants made moves today that signal a shift toward "Agentic" browsers and "Fortress" messaging apps.

Chrome's Agentic Future

According to TechCrunch, Google is testing a new "Agent Mode" for Chrome. Powered by Gemini Nano, this feature allows the browser to perform autonomous tasks like:

• "Book a flight to London for under $600."
• "Fill out this job application with my resume data."
• "Summarize these 5 open tabs into a Notion doc."

This moves the AI agent directly into the browser, challenging standalone tools like Cursor or specialized agent apps.

WhatsApp's Security Fortress

Meta has rolled out "Strict Account Settings" for WhatsApp. Targeted at journalists, activists, and high-risk individuals, this mode adds:

• Device Binding: Accounts can only be moved to a new phone with a physical hardware key (YubiKey).
• IP Masking: Calls are routed through Meta servers to hide user IP addresses.
• Link Previews Disabled: Prevents IP leaks from auto-generating previews.