Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

WhatsApp sues Indian government in bid to block 'mass surveillance' rules

WhatsApp sues Indian government in bid to block 'mass surveillance' rules

WhatsApp has sued the Indian government in a bid to block new rules it says would lead to "mass surveillance" by forcing social media platforms to hand over private information about their users.

The company confirmed Wednesday that such a complaint has been filed with the Delhi High Court. CNN Business has asked for a copy of the lawsuit.

The lawsuit is an attempt to stave off strict rules that are supposed to take effect Wednesday. They include demands that companies create special roles in India to keep them in compliance with local law, and to stay in contact with law enforcement 24/7. There are also requirements that services remove some types of content, including posts that feature "full or partial nudity."

But the rule that WhatsApp most takes issue with is one that would require companies to trace the "first originator" of messages if asked by authorities. The government has said that such requests would be made only in relation to serious crime, but the company is concerned that this move would effectively end any guarantee of user privacy by requiring the Facebook (FB)-owned platform to keep track of every message.

"Requiring messaging apps to 'trace' chats is the equivalent of asking us to keep a fingerprint of every single message sent on WhatsApp, which would break end-to-end encryption and fundamentally undermines people's right to privacy," a company spokesperson said in a statement to CNN Business. "We have consistently joined civil society and experts around the world in opposing requirements that would violate the privacy of our users. "

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology called WhatsApp's lawsuit an "unfortunate attempt" to prevent the new rules from coming into effect at the last minute.

"The government respects the right of privacy and has no Intention to violate it when WhatsApp is required to disclose the origin of a particular message," it said in a statement.

The ministry said it would only ask the platform to reveal private data if required for the investigation or prevention of "very serious offenses" related to the sovereignty, security and integrity of India, public order, rape, child sex abuse or sexually explicit material.

WhatsApp counts some 400 million users in India, its biggest market. It deployed end-to-end encryption in 2016 so that calls, messages, photos, videos and voice notes are only shared with the intended recipient and no one else — including WhatsApp. To comply with the traceability demand, WhatsApp would have to keep giant databases of every message, the company said.

A government "that chooses to mandate traceability is effectively mandating a new form of mass surveillance," WhatsApp has written in a blog post about why it opposes the practice. "Traceability forces private companies to turn over the names of people who shared something even if they did not create it, shared it out of concern, or sent it to check its accuracy."

WhatsApp began pushing back on India's demands to trace the source of messages years ago. In 2018, the government told WhatsApp to do more to trace the source of messages, after viral hoaxes on the platform were linked to several lynchings. The company said at the time that doing so would break its end-to-end encryption.

The IT ministry said India was asking for "significantly much less" than other countries have demanded of the tech platform, and was committed to securing the right of privacy for all citizens as well as the means to maintain national security.

"It is WhatsApp's responsibility to find a technical solution, whether through encryption or otherwise, that both happen," it added.

The messaging service and other social media firms have lately faced an increasingly difficult environment in India — including the new regulations, which were announced in February just weeks after the government attempted to pressure Twitter (TWTR) to take down accounts it deemed incendiary.

In April, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government asked Facebook and Twitter (TWTR) to remove around 100 posts, including some that were critical of Modi's Covid-19 response.

And earlier this week, Delhi police visited Twitter offices in India to order the social media giant to cooperate with an investigation into a tweet sent by a member of the ruling political party. Twitter had labeled the tweet as "manipulated media."

Twitter did not respond to a request for comment on the new rules.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
×