And finally, it’s official now.
Govt of India has formally asked Whatsapp to withdraw their new privacy policy, and respect the choice of Indians.
This is what happened..
Govt To Whatsapp: Withdraw New Policy Policy
After the backlash received due to Whatsapp’s new privacy policy, Ministry for Electronics and Information and Technology has directly written to Whatsapp CEO Will Cathcart, and asked them to respect Indians.
The letter sternly asks Whatsapp to withdraw their new privacy policy, which makes accessing data of Indians and sharing with advertisers, and Facebook seamless.
The letter states that the new privacy policy from Whatsapp “raise grave concerns regarding the implications for the choice and autonomy of Indian citizens,”
The letter states that the choice of Indians should be respected and “any unilateral changes to the WhatsApp Terms of Service and Privacy would not be fair and acceptable.”
The letter further asks Whatsapp to share all details related with their new privacy policy, and its implications.
Whatsapp had earlier imposed a deadline of February 8th for all Indians, who are using their app. Their notice stated that if anyone is not accepting their new privacy policy, then their account will be banned.
However, Whatsapp has now clarified that no one’s account will be blocked or banned after February 8th, and the implementation of the new privacy policy has now been delayed by 3 months.
Delhi HC: Don’t Use Whatsapp if You Have Problem With Privacy Policy
Meanwhile, a case was filed in the Delhi High Court, challenging the new privacy policy of Whatsapp, which has been designed to legally scoop out more data from their users.
While replying to the petition, Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said, “It is a private app. Don’t join it. It is a voluntary thing, don’t accept it. Use some other app,”
The matter is sub-judice, and the proceedings are currently underway.
We will keep you updated, as more details come in.
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