The Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, has said that the Indian government will probe into claims of WhatsApp accessing user microphones even when not in use after a viral tweet from Twitter engineer Foad Dabiri.
India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Wednesday has directed Facebook-owned messaging platform WhatsApp to take back its contentious new privacy policy, according to government sources quoted by ANI. According to MeitY, deferral of the privacy policy beyond May 15, 2021, does not absolve WhatsApp from respecting the values of informational privacy, data security and user choice for Indian users, sources told ANI. MeitY has reportedly given WhatsApp seven days to reply to its notice. If WhatsApp’s response isn’t deemed satisfactory, the Indian government may take legal action against the Facebook-owned company. The sources have maintained that WhatsApp meting out discriminatory treatment to Indian users compared to those in Europe is unacceptable. They have also claimed that with its new privacy policy, WhatsApp is misusing its dominant position as a messaging platform in the Indian market. India is WhatsApp’s largest market with 400 Mn use
Indian Government asks WhatsApp to revoke the new privacy policy
Indian Government asks WhatsApp to revoke the new privacy policy
Latest News
Advertisement
WhatsApp has been asked by the Indian Government to withdraw the privacy policy changes the app introduced weeks back. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has written a letter to WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart regarding the same.
The letter read that India is home to the largest user base of WhatsApp globally and is one the biggest markets for its services. The proposed changes to the WhatsApp Terms of Service and Privacy Policy raise grave concerns regarding the implications for the choice and autonomy of Indian citizens, it wrote.