In a strongly worded letter to WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart,
the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said India is
home to the largest user base of WhatsApp globally and is one the biggest
markets for its services.
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.
The ministry asked WhatsApp to withdraw the proposed changes
and reconsider its approach to information privacy, freedom of choice and data
security.
Stating that Indians should be properly respected, it said,
"any unilateral changes to the WhatsApp Terms of Service and Privacy would
not be fair and acceptable."
The MeitY letter comes a day after the Delhi High court said
that accepting the new privacy policy of instant messaging app WhatsApp was a
"voluntary" thing and one can choose to not join the platform if one
did not agree with its terms and conditions.
"Even Google Maps captures all your data and stores
it," the court said.
"It is a private app. Don't join it. It is a voluntary
thing, don't accept it. Use some other app," Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said
to the petitioner, a lawyer, who has challenged WhatsApp's new privacy policy,
which was earlier slated to come into effect in February but has now been
deferred till May.
The court further said it could not understand what data
would be leaked according to the petitioner and since the issue requires
consideration, it will be listed on January 25 due to paucity of time on
Monday.
The central government also agreed with the court that the
issue needs to be analysed.
WhatsApp and Facebook, represented by senior advocates Kapil
Sibal and Mukul Rohatgi, told the court that the plea was not maintainable and
many of the issues raised in it were without any foundation. They further told
the court that private chat messages between family and friends would remain
encrypted and cannot be stored by WhatsApp and this position would not change
under the new policy.
The change in policy would only affect the business chats on
WhatsApp, they said.
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