Privacy policy: WhatsApp responds to govt notice, says update does not adjust privacy of user’s private messages

Responding to the government’s notice with regards to the revised privacy policy, WhatsApp on Monday assured that the update does not adjust the privacy of people’s private messages. The Facebook-owned firm stated it will hold reminding customers about the new update but accounts will not be deleted in the coming handful of weeks. The firm stated that it will retain this strategy till at least the forthcoming private information protection law comes into impact.

“We have responded to the Government of India’s letter and assured them that the privacy of users remains our highest priority. As a reminder, the recent update does not change the privacy of people’s personal messages. Its purpose is to provide additional information about how people can interact with businesses if they choose to do so,” a WhatsApp spokesperson stated.

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On May 18, the ministry of electronics and details technologies (Meity) had shot off a second missive to WhatsApp to roll back its new privacy policy, implemented with impact from May 15, or face action below the country’s laws.

The government had warned that if it did not obtain any satisfactory response in seven days, it would initiate action in consonance with the laws. The fundamental objective of the government was that the alterations to the privacy policy and the manner of introducing them, such as in FAQ, undermines the “sacrosanct values of informational privacy, data security and user choice for Indian users and harms the rights and interests of Indian citizens”.

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WhatsApp has indicated earlier also that accounts of these customers who do not accept the new terms and situations, will not be deleted for the time becoming but Meity insisted that it “does not absolve WhatsApp from respecting the values of informational privacy, data security and user choice for Indian users”.

“We will not limit the functionality of how WhatsApp works in the coming weeks. Instead, we will continue to remind users from time to time about the update as well as when people choose to use relevant optional features, like communicating with a business that is receiving support from Facebook. We hope this approach reinforces the choice that all users have whether or not they want to interact with a business. We will maintain this approach until at least the forthcoming PDP law comes into effect,” a WhatsApp spokesperson added.

Originally appeared on: TheSpuzz

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