The Indian government is not pleased with WhatsApp’s new privacy policy. The nation’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has once again directed the Facebook-owned company to withdraw the planned update.
The Indian Government has sent a notice to WhatsApp asking it to withdraw a new privacy policy and has sought a response within seven days.
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WhatsApp New Privacy Policy
In a letter to WhatsApp— which was read to TechCrunch — MeitY has given the popular instant messaging provider seven days to offer a “satisfactory” response.
Failure to do so, the ministry warned, will prompt lawful measures.
“In fulfilment of its sovereign responsibility to protect the rights and interests of Indian citizens, the government of India will consider various options available to it under laws in India,” the letter reads.
What If You Don’t Accept The New Privacy Policy?
WhatsApp Users Encounter Limited Functionality
The company said in a statement that it would not remove the accounts of users who refused to accept the policy change and that no one in India would lose access to the app.
However, WhatsApp clarified in an FAQ page that users “will encounter limited functionality” on its app until they accept the update. “This will not happen to all users at the same time,” it noted.
While the calling feature is working for most users who have not accepted the new terms of service yet, it is observed that WhatsApp has started applying the restrictions for some users randomly.
“This will not happen to all users at the same time. You won’t be able to access your chat list, but you can still answer the incoming phone and video calls. If you have notifications enabled, you can tap on them to read or respond to a message or call back a missed phone or video call.” it said
WhatsApp’s Persistent Reminders To Accept The New Privacy Policy
WhatsApp is showing a pop-up to some users who have not accepted the terms of service while making audio and video calls.
It says that “WhatsApp secures your conversations with end-to-end encryption. This means your messages, calls, and status updates stay between you and the people you choose. Not even WhatsApp can read or listen to them.”
Some WhatsApp users have not accepted the new terms of service and therefore they are experiencing the after-effects.
The company will also gradually show for users after persistent reminders to accept the new privacy policy.