• By Vikas Yadav
  • Sun, 28 Jul 2024 10:42 PM (IST)
  • Source:PTI

Whatsapp is a popular instant messaging application used across the world. The company advertises its encryption protocol across its marketing material as a medium to flaunt its commitment towards safety and privacy. A few months ago, the platform had told the Delhi High Court that if it was asked to break encryption, it would shut operations in India. However, the recent statement of the Indian IT Minister can prove a sign of relief for millions of WhatsApp users in India.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Rajya Sabha that Meta (the parent company of WhatsApp) expressed no plans to the government to shut services in India, according to PTI. In a written reply to the Upper House, the Minister stated that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology informed that WhatsApp did not share any plans to close operations. WhatsApp enjoys over 400 million users in India.

Also Read: WhatsApp Threatens To Shut Services In India 'If Forced To Break Encryption Of Messages'; Delhi HC To Hear Pleas In Aug

The answer came after the questioning from Congress member Vivek Tankha who inquired whether the platform planned to shut down services due to the recent directives of the state to share details of users. "Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has shared that WhatsApp or Meta has not informed the government about any such plans," the IT Minister said in the written response.

In response to the question, Vaishnaw noted the Centre issues directives under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000 to protect the sovereignty, integrity, defence, and security of India or friendly relations with foreign states or public order or to prevent incitement to the commission of a cognisable offence relating to above in respect of information on a computer resource, the report noted.

Also Read: WhatsApp Tips: How To Send HD Images And Videos By Default On WhatsApp? Tech Guide

The question came in the backdrop of WhatsApp's statement in the Delhi High Court that it will wind up its operations in the country if the government pushed the platform to break the encryption protocol. Meta challenged the new IT Rules and contested that the relevant directives would violate the right to privacy. You can read more on this here.