Microsoft has finally made up its mind and hid Skype users' IP addresses by default to protect the privacy of its subscribers.
About four years ago, a glitch in Skype's system resulted to malicious users getting hold of IP addresses via the platform. Recently, Microsoft has rolled out a new option enabling users to hide their IP addresses; however, its latest update on Friday already sets it as a default.
In a statement released by Skype, the company said that this option will be set in a default status in its newest and succeeding versions. "This measure will help prevent individuals from obtaining a Skype ID and resolving to an IP address," the company stated in its blogpost. It further advised its users to update to the latest version to install the feature.
The update came following a number of complaints received by the company from Skype users about allegedly being blackmailed or harassed online by unidentified users.
This issue is particularly important for gamers and streamers during their game sessions, who struggle most of the time to avoid distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks as their opponents can simply check their Skype ID and utilize resolver services to flood it with traffic; thus beating gamers offline.
In fact, gamers have formed an online community featuring a step-by-step guide on how to prevent other users from resolving Skype IDs and finding IP addresses.
Aside from that, the video calling and instant messaging platform also unveiled other updates such as rolling out a group video call for Windows 10, iOS and Android users. Group video call is only available in Skype for Business.
What's more, the updated Skype on Android now permits users to set a Skype call appointment via Outlook. Furthermore, Skype Translator tool has also been unveiled on Windows desktop users.
Skype now boasts of over 700 million users across the globe, both on mobile apps and computers.
