WhatsApp says "NO" to India's request to trace messages
Despite India's demand that WhatsApp make messages traceable, WhatsApp has said that it will not add such a functionality. India's demand came after a spate of fake news-induced mob lynchings across the country. However, WhatsApp said that such traceability would "undermine end-to-end encryption and the private nature of WhatsApp", and would have "potential for serious misuse." Here are the details.
WhatsApp will not dilute its privacy features for India
"People rely on WhatsApp for all kinds of sensitive conversations, including with their doctors, banks and families...We will not weaken the privacy protections WhatsApp provides," said WhatsApp spokesperson Carl Woog in a statement to CNN Money.
The move comes days after WhatsApp's meeting with Prasad
WhatsApp's move to deny India's request comes a few days after CEO Chris Daniels met Electronics & IT, and Law and Justice minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. During the meeting, Prasad had handed WhatsApp a checklist of criteria to be fulfilled if it was to do business in India. While the checklist didn't involve traceability as a clause, Prasad had asked for it separately.
The three conditions WhatsApp was asked to fulfill
During the meeting, Prasad had told Daniels that WhatsApp must have a grievance addressal system within India so people could reach them immediately when required. He added that WhatsApp must have full compliance with Indian laws, and that India "will not appreciate" scenarios where problems are answered to only in America. Finally, Prasad said that WhatsApp must have a proper corporate entity in India.
What Ravi Shankar Prasad had asked of WhatsApp
"It does not need a rocket science to locate a message being circulated in hundreds and thousands ... on the same day, on the same issue, in the same state, in the same district. You must find a solution," Prasad had said after the meeting.
Anti-fake news measures taken by WhatsApp so far
Meanwhile, WhatsApp has announced a slew of measures to combat the proliferation of fake news in India. On the tech side, these include a forwarded label and a limit on the maximum number of times a message can be forwarded. WhatsApp is also reportedly working on a suspicious link detection feature. Additionally, WhatsApp also announced several fake news awareness drives to educate the public.
