In contact with WhatsApp, the ministry again told the messaging platform to withdraw its 2021 privacy policy.
In this message, the government tried to draw the attention of WhatsApp to how its new privacy policy violates many provisions of existing Indian laws and rules.
The government will focus on other options for this, following its sovereign responsibilities to protect the rights and interests of Indian citizens, which come under the purview of Indian laws.
The ministry has also strongly raised the issue of discriminatory behavior between Indian users and European users to be done by WhatsApp. It said, “As you know this well, many Indian citizens depend on WhatsApp in everyday life to contact contact. It is not only skeptical but also irresponsible that WhatsApp take advantage of its position to implement its inappropriate terms and conditions. Especially those rules that show distinctions between users and Indian users.”
It is also necessary to mention here that WhatsApp has been reprimanded for sharing data from its parent company Facebook several times. The letter also states that WhatsApp has officially postponed its new privacy policy till 15 May 2021.
However, the ministry says that postponing the policy does not allow WhatsApp to respect Indian users’ information, data security and user’s will.
It also emphasizes that changes in privacy policy and implementing these changes as FAQS (Incessantly requested questions) violates users’ information, data security and user’s will.
In the Delhi High Court, the Ministry also put the same side where the matter is under consideration and from where this letter has been issued.
Update- WhatsApp spoke to Gadgets 360 and gave the following statement:
“We are constantly talking to the government about this and again confirm the statement we have made earlier that this update will not affect the privacy of any person’s personal messages.
Our goal is to convey information about all the options that we are working on, to send business messages on WhatsApp, which people will also have in future. The majority people have also accepted the new rules of services. We encourage those who have not yet got a chance to do so. On May 15, neither an account has been deleted nor the functioning of WhatsApp has been affected. We will continue to remember people about it for the next few weeks. We are grateful that WhatsApp is playing such an important role in the lives of people. We will continue to take advantage of such opportunities further when we will be able to tell people how we protect their personal messages and confidential information. “
