Except Message traceability, a other govt demands to be met: WhatsApp
WhatsApp has agreed to meet all the demands of the IT ministry except adding a feature that could help trace origin of a message It is believed that WhatsApp had told the government that the company has no access to the user data and tampering with that will strike at its key feature, which complete privacy to the user
NEW DELHI: WhatsApp has agreed to meet all the demands of the IT ministry except adding a feature that could help trace origin of a message. It is believed that WhatsApp had told the government that the company has no access to the user data and tampering with that will strike at its key feature, which complete privacy to the user.
A senior executive at a technology company said, “The data is stored on user’s device. This will require a fundamental change in the way not only WhatsApp but messaging services of Apple and Google to work.” India is WhatsApp’s largest market with 1.5 billion active users. It is looking to add a new payment feature using Unified Payment Interface (UPI). It is facing serious issues after rumours circulating in its platform are triggering lynching in several parts of the country.
On Tuesday, Chris Daniels, the CEO of WhatsApp met Ravi Shankar Prasad, the IT minister. The minister had asked for a compliance officer in the country along with a corporate entity. In response, the company told the government that it is ready to work with regulators and law enforcement authorities to block sources that circulate objectionable content.
The company held training sessions with senior police officers from many states to work out ways to prevent the spread of fake news and hate messages. Some city police departments had set up dedicated WhatsApp numbers where they share updates related to crime or events in the city.
