Here’s Why WhatsApp Has Threatened To Leave India

The Meta-owned platform, WhatsApp is a messaging app used by millions in India. If you are a WhatsApp user, you must be aware that WhatsApp chats are end-to-end encrypted which means that all your messages, media files, documents, etc, shared on the platform are converted into binary digits and are decrypted only at the receiver’s end. This indicates that other than the sender and receiver no one else can access or decode these messages or media files.

The company claims that the encryption is to keep the chats of the users secure. The widely used messaging app in the country recently warned that it will stop its services in India if in the near future, it is propelled to break chat encryption.

WhatsApp and its parent company Meta have filed a petition challenging India’s IT rules 2021 for social media intermediaries

The Central government had framed the new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, which direct OTT and digital portals to devise respective grievance redressal systems.

Under the rules, social media platforms are needed to disclose the identity of the “first originator of information” when asked.

WhatsApp claimed that the IT rules were introduced without consultation and they were against the privacy of users. The firm suggested that the rules violate the fundamental rights of the users under Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution.

WhatsApp is facing a battle in court to keep its users secure behind its end-to-end encryption for chats, calls, videos, and more.

The central government’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) has opposed the two companies’ petition, stating WhatsApp had violated the fundamental right by restricting users from any mechanism for dispute resolution.

The ministry has notified the Delhi High Court that if the rules were not implemented, the law enforcement agencies would have problems in tracing the origin of fake messages.

It has been claimed that such a message could disturb the peace and harmony in the country and could result in public order issues.

But WhatsApp remarked that complying with the rules would lead to a breach of privacy.

Here’s why WhatsApp has threatened to leave India

Meta has appointed Tejas Karia who told the Delhi High Court that people use the mobile application for its privacy features. The lawyer argued no such rules exist anywhere else in the world. He said WhatsApp would have to keep a “complete chain” as it would be difficult to know which message would require to be decrypted. He said,

It means millions and millions of messages will have to be stored for a number of years

So, the company has decided to exit the country rather than comply with the laws regarding this matter. The lawyer representing the platform told a Delhi high court bench,

”As a platform, we are saying, if we are told to break encryption, then WhatsApp goes”

The messaging app claims to have around 400 million active users in the country along with the UPI payment feature. So, the last thing Meta and WhatsApp would want is to stop its messaging service in India and it will be silently hoping that warnings like these would help its case and will not be forced to break its encryption for messages.

What are your opinions on the same? Let us know in the comments.