WhatsApp Transforms Privacy in the Middle of Times Square

WhatsApp illustrates the power of end-to-end encryption to the US market by transforming privacy into a feeling in the middle of Times Square. The messaging app pulled off a stunt by turning the most public place in the world into a private one, to highlight its most compelling feature: privacy. 

Media.Monks and Meta’s Creative X designed an immersive installation to encapsulate how privacy feels: a three-foot wide, round speaker platform set in the middle of an always chaotic Times Square. Users stepped on top of the speaker, and through complex sound engineering, could experience a private dialogue. The experience draws a parallel between the privacy of the WhatsApp platform: no one outside the platform, nor outside the speaker, can hear the conversation. Against the busy backdrop of sirens and sightseers and with no physical sound barrier, people truly experienced the feeling – and the beauty – of privacy. The WhatsApp “Private Spot” translated privacy from an abstract concept to a tangible feeling for consumers.

A custom speaker platform built to be stepped on, along with directional or “ultrasonic” speakers designed by Media.Monks made the experience possible: making the intangible, tangible for consumers in the epicentre of publicity. 

The stunt is part of WhatsApp’s ongoing expansion in the US market, with a focus on demonstrating its privacy features and end-to-end encryption across any device as a core differentiator against other messaging apps.