Popular social platform WhatsApp has been in a massive storm of controversy, ever since it announced major changes to its privacy policy back in January this year. And now, after quite a load of drama ranging from threats by government agencies to multiple clarifications from WhatsApp, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology under the Union Ministry has directed the chatting platform to take back its new privacy policy.
As per the order issued by the IT Ministry, the changes to the privacy policy, as well as the way in which they have been introduced (through the use of frequently-asked questions or FAQs), jeopardies the very basis of information security, user choice, and data safety in the country. This comes even as the company has repeatedly been claiming that its new policy does not, in any way, invade the privacy of personal chats, and instead, focusses only on business chats. Nevertheless, the Ministry considers it not to be in the best rights and interests of Indian citizens.
As per the order issued on May 18, WhatsApp has been granted a period of seven days to respond to the order, and take appropriate measures. If no satisfactory response is received, the Government holds the power to take necessary actions. What strikes one as noteworthy is that this is not the first time the Ministry has directed WhatsApp to keep its privacy policy 2021 in check. It had previously also communicated with the company, asking for the policy to be held back. In the latest order, the government has informed WhatsApp of how the new provisions in its privacy policy are in direct violation of several Indian rules and guidelines. The Ministry, and the government by extension, will be looking at all the possible solutions and options, while keeping the best interests of Indians in mind.
Also taking note of how users in Europe have been given the option of opting out of the new terms under the policy, as per the direction of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) guidelines, the Ministry said that it is unfair on WhatsApp’s part to impose the policy forcefully on Indian users. It said, “As you are doubtlessly aware, many Indian citizens depend on WhatsApp to communicate in everyday life. It is not just problematic, but also irresponsible, for WhatsApp to leverage this position to impose unfair terms and conditions on Indian users, particularly those that discriminate against Indian users vis-à-vis users in Europe.”
This comes even as the company announced that it will be scrapping its May 15 deadline for users to accept the new terms under its privacy policy 2021, all the while saying that accounts of users who do not agree to it within the said deadline will not be deleted. The Ministry has clearly stated that WhatsApp has no right whatsoever to disregard user choice and privacy on its platform.
