Centre asks Whatsapp to recall privacy policy

NEW DELHI: The government has again asked Whatsapp to withdraw its new privacy policy as it undermines “informational privacy, data security, and user choice” while warning the mobile messaging service provider it will take necessary steps in consonance with the Indian law if satisfactory action was not taken.

In a notice issued on Tuesday, the government said the policy’s deferral beyond May 15 does not absolve Whatsapp from respecting values of informational privacy and data security. The company has been given seven days to respond.

The contentious policy includes mandatory sharing of data with Whatsapp’s parent company Facebook and proposes to take away the choice for users to opt-out of it. It triggered a backlash and boycott calls over the concerns about data security. Many users moved to other messaging applications such as Signal and Telegram and prompted Whatsapp on January 16 to delay the introduction of the changes.

In the notice, the ministry of electronics and information technology said Whatsapp was treating users in India and Europe differently. It added it undermines “the sacrosanct values of informational privacy, data security and user choice for Indian users”.