WhatsApp Asked To Withdraw New Privacy Policy By Indian Government; Will It Comply?

WhatsApp announced a new set of privacy guidelines earlier this year that stated sharing of user data with its parent company Facebook. This brought a lot of heat from the users forcing the company to extend the deadline. The company initially set the deadline to accept the new guidelines by February 8, 2021, which later was postponed to May 15.

The Indian government had also asked WhatsApp to remove the new policy from India citing privacy concerns. However, the company only delayed the deadline instead of complying.

With WhatsApp now restricting features for the users who haven't accepted the policy, another letter has been sent to the company by the government. Will WhatsApp comply this time? Here's what we think:

WhatsApp Asked To Withdraw New Privacy Policy From India

As per a report via TechCrunch, the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has written a new letter to WhatsApp stating the privacy concerns. The government has once again asked the company to withdraw the new policy from the country and also give a "satisfactory response" with seven days.

That's not it; the government has also warned WhatsApp of legal measures if the brand fails to respond to this concern. Additionally, the letter seeks a response as to why the company needs to enforce the new privacy in India while other European regions have been exempted.

The letter also highlights the updated privacy policy violates several Indian laws and rules provisions which is why legal actions can be taken. The report suggests the government plans on dragging the company to the Delhi High Court if there is no satisfactory response.

What Does WhatsApp Say? Will The Company Comply?

As of now, WhatsApp hasn't issued any official statement on the same. In fact, the company is yet to respond to the letter sent by MeitY. It would be hard to say if the company will comply with the Indian government's request and if the users here would be exempted here from accepting the guidelines.

The Indian government seems to be leaving no room for WhatsApp other than to withdraw the privacy policy. The company will have to be on solid grounds to explain why enforcing this policy update is a must in India and not in Europe. If it fails to do so, we can expect some strict action from the Indian government. But we will have to wait to see all the developments.