The Indian government and the country's laws should define and protect the privacy of citizens, information technology industry veteran TV Mohandas Pai said on Wednesday as he accused large social media platforms like WhatsApp of "double standards".
Highlights
The screenshots shared on the platform revealed that WhatsApp will ask users to share the password created by the users while encrypting their backups.
It will also ask to share their encryption key which is basically a 64-digit encryption key.
WhatsApp has not released any official date of the launch of this particular feature.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp is working on a new feature that would encrypt chat backups on Google Drive.
According to WABetaInfo, the messaging platform’s feature is still under development and it is working on the process to restore the password and to view a user’s 64-digit encryption key.
WhatsApp drew flak from all corners after it revised the privacy policy and usage terms in January to reflect instant messaging platform’s data-sharing terms with its parent company Facebook. WhatsApp had initially given its users until February 8 to accept the new privacy policy and usage terms. On account of confusion over the revised terms, the instant messaging platform had extended the deadline to accept the terms by May 15. Meanwhile, the company is taking several measures to educate its users about the new privacy policy and usage terms through the in-app pop-up notifications and ‘Stories’ feature. Recently, the company also published an explainer on its frequently asked question webpage to clarify what will happen after May 15 if you do not accept the new privacy terms. Here is everything you need to know:
After years of contemplation and controversies, the Indian government is finally testing not one, but two messaging platforms for its internal communication. Sandes and Samvad are two apps that have been built by different departments of the government and are currently being tested before a final rollout happens. The idea, according to people in the know, is to have a secure instant messaging system for government use, and not rely on external, especially foreign owned apps such as WhatsApp, Signal and so on. Sandes is being developed by the National Informatics Centre, the technology infrastructure arm of the government under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Sandes is available for download in the Apple App Store, but seems to have been taken off the Google Play Store after being available there for a few days.
WhatsApp Privacy Concerns: Government Officials Reportedly Switch To Indigenous App Sandes
At the moment, the app is only available for government officials, reports claimed GIMS Outlook Web Bureau 2021-02-08T15:41:19+05:30 WhatsApp Privacy Concerns: Government Officials Reportedly Switch To Indigenous App Sandes outlookindia.com 2021-02-08T16:24:47+05:30
Also read
Amidst rising concerns over WhatsApp’s new privacy policy, government officials have switched to a Desi alternative called Sandes, reports claimed.
The application is still being tested and has not been launched. A report by Business Standard claimed that application is only available for government officials at the moment, and it may be made available for public use, in the future.