‘Privacy’ guides Whatsapp stance on tracing messages

THE GOVERNMENT HAD ASKED THE GLOBAL MESSAGING PLATFORM TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION TO TRACE THE ORIGIN OF MESSAGES

NEWDELHI:WHATSAPP said Thursday tracing the origin of messages sent over the platform would undermine its “private nature”, prompting the government to clarify that it expected the Facebook-owned service to continue exploring technical innovations, even as they appeared to agree on three other conditions set by India to operate in the country.

The government had asked the global messaging platform to come up with a solution to trace the origin of messages in efforts to curb incidents of mob lynching and other crimes triggered by fake news.

Whatsapp chief executive officer Chris Daniels met information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday, after which Prasad said the government had asked the firm to comply with the Indian law, set up a local corporate entity and appoint a grievance officer.

Whatsapp has agreed to the three demands, according to a government official who did not wish to be identified. It, however, said that introducing traceability would weaken privacy protection of its users. “(It) would undermine end-to-end encryption and the private nature of Whatsapp, creating the potential for serious misuse. Whatsapp will not weaken the privacy protections we provide,” a spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

India is Whatsapp’s largest and fastest-growing market with over 230 active million users.

The ability to trace the origin of a fake news message shared over Whatsapp was one of the key demands by the government. The platform is not designed to track individual messages, as it does not have access to private conversations over the app, the company’s terms and conditions say.

After Whatsapp made its stand clear on the traceability issue, the government said the service should keep looking for innovative solutions to the problem. “Continue to explore technical innovations whereby, in case of large-scale circulation of provocative and nefarious messages leading to violence and crime, the origin can be ascertained,” said a senior government official who asked not to be named.

Ananth Padmanabhan, fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, said Whatsapp was right in taking the stand. “If they started in this direction (of traceability), the chilling effect it would have on free speech over the platform could be high. Responsible engagement can never be built using fear. Traceability is a tool of fear in a service that promises encrypted messaging,” he said