WhatsApp: The world’s most popular social media platform WhatsApp has refused the Delhi High Court to remove message encryption. During the ongoing hearing in Delhi High Court regarding this matter, WhatsApp told the court that if it is forced to break or remove message encryption from its app, then it will stop its service in India.
What is end-to-end encryption?
Meta-owned company WhatsApp said that its end-to-end encryption features protect the privacy of every user. Because of this feature, only the sending or receiving user can read the messages sent or received through WhatsApp.
Let us tell you that WhatsApp had included end-to-end encryption feature in its app many years ago. This feature ensures that the message sent by the users on WhatsApp, or the message received by them, is encrypted. Apart from the sending or receiving users, even WhatsApp itself cannot read it.
WhatsApp against the new rule of the central government
Actually, WhatsApp has challenged the new IT Rules 2021 of the Central Government in the court. WhatsApp has filed a petition against this. According to the report of Times of India, lawyer Tejas Karia, representing WhatsApp, told the court that if WhatsApp is forced to break the encryption, then it will stop its service in India.
Tejas said that people use WhatsApp only because of its privacy features, which the company has provided through end-to-end encryption. On behalf of WhatsApp, Tejas Karia told the court that the government’s new rule protects the users. This can put privacy at risk and the government has not even consulted the platform regarding this rule.
What did WhatsApp say to the court?
WhatsApp told the court that there is no such rule in any country in the world. Not even in Brazil. With the implementation of this rule, we will have to keep the entire chain of messages and we do not know which message will be asked to be decrypted. Under this rule of the government, we will have to store millions of messages for many years.
Due to this new rule, not only the encryption feature will be harmed but the privacy of common users will also be weakened. It also violates the fundamental rights of the people under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Indian Constitution.
What did the central government and the court say?
On the other hand, lawyer Kirtiman Singh, appearing on behalf of the Central Government, while supporting this rule of the Government, said that in today’s environment such a system is necessary, so that it can be found out who has sent the message.
After hearing both the sides, Delhi High Court has fixed August 14 as the date for further hearing of this petition of WhatsApp and Meta. The Delhi High Court bench said on this matter that the right to privacy is not absolute and a balance will have to be struck somewhere.
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