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The Indian government has asked WhatsApp to withdraw the recent changes in its privacy policy, saying unilateral changes are not fair and acceptable. The government has written a letter to the WhatsApp CEO, Will Cathcart expressing strong concerns about the new privacy policy proposed by the company for Indian users which will come into force from May.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) in its letter has reminded WhatsApp to respect the informational privacy and data security of Indian users and asked it to withdraw this proposed policy. 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. They have also sent detailed questions to WhatsApp seeking more information about its data sharing protocols and business practices.
Union Electronics and IT Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad has also said, “Be it WhatsApp, Facebook or any other digital platform they are free to do business in India but it should be done in a manner without impinging upon the rights of Indians who operate it." He also added, "the sanctity of personal communications needs to be maintained”.
The changes do not offer users the option to opt-out in case they do not want to share their data with Facebook. Those who don’t agree to the new update, will lose access to the app. Last week, WhatsApp deferred the implementation of its new privacy policy from February to May.
Source: EconomicTimes.com, IndianExpress.com
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