India Urges WhatsApp to Withdraw Data Policy Changes Amid Privacy Concerns
India has been grappling with the issue of data privacy and misuse on social media platforms, with WhatsApp and Twitter being at the centre of recent controversies. Despite heavy fines in other countries, India has not taken strong real-time actions against these firms.
In 2018, WhatsApp faced criticism for failing to control the spread of fake and provocative content on its platform. The Indian government responded by asking WhatsApp to enable message traceability in 2019 to prevent mob lynching incidents. However, experts suggest that the lack of a robust mechanism continues to put the data of millions of Indians at risk of misuse.
In a recent development, the Indian government has written to WhatsApp to withdraw, not just defer, its recent data privacy policy change. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has officially requested WhatsApp to withdraw the changes, citing concerns over the violation of the rights of millions of Indians regarding data protection regulations. A petition has also been filed in the Supreme Court against the upcoming WhatsApp data policy changes.
WhatsApp has taken some steps to tackle the spread of false information, such as limiting forward messaging to five chats in India. However, the Indian government has not notified the draft intermediary Guidelines (Amendment) Rules for the last two years, indicating a lack of strong regulatory framework. Additionally, the government has raised concerns about the 'misrepresentation' of India's map on Twitter's platform.
India's struggle with data privacy and misuse on social media platforms continues, with WhatsApp and Twitter being key players in the ongoing controversies. While WhatsApp has taken some steps to address these issues, the lack of a strong personal data privacy law and regulatory framework in India remains a concern. The government's recent actions and the Supreme Court petition highlight the urgent need for robust data protection measures.
