Popular messaging app WhatsApp, owned by META, is at the center of a showdown with the Indian government. The company has threatened to exit the Indian market if it is compelled to disclose user data and compromise its encryption protocols. This conflict arose following WhatsApp and META’s legal challenge to the Indian government’s Social Media Rules 2021, particularly objecting to the demand to reveal the original source of circulated information. Tedzas Karia, representing WhatsApp, declared that the app would leave India if forced to compromise its encryption.
The new regulations implemented by India in 2021 require social media platforms to designate compliance officers and issue monthly reports. However, the provision mandating the identification of the “primary source” of messages has sparked major privacy concerns among critics. Privacy advocates argue that disclosing such information could violate citizens’ fundamental rights. WhatsApp, on the other hand, upholds the sanctity of end-to-end encryption, ensuring that message content remains private between sender and recipient.
Indian authorities defend the need for source tracking to combat the spread of misinformation and extremism. The country faced a surge of fake news and provocative content during the Covid-19 pandemic, posing risks to public safety. A potential solution to this issue could lie in the enactment of a data protection law in India. Despite ongoing discussions, India lacks a comprehensive data privacy law like the one in the European Union. A data protection law passed by parliament last year is pending final rule approvals post-election. Once enacted, this law could establish a robust framework for safeguarding user data and overseeing tech companies.
It is worth mentioning that META and its products are deemed extremist, leading to their prohibition in Russia.