WhatsApp Tells Indian Government User Privacy Is 'Highest Priority'

WhatsApp also said the government could take legal action against the company.

By Reuters | Updated: 25 May 2021 10:01 IST

WhatsApp Tells Indian Government User Privacy Is 'Highest Priority'

WhatsApp earlier this year said users would have to review its updated terms by February 8

Highlights

India is WhatsApp's biggest market
More than 500 million people use its services
WhatsApp's new privacy policy allows it to share user data with Facebook

Facebook-owned WhatsApp on Monday said that it had told the Indian government that the privacy of users was its highest priority after the country's technology ministry raised questions about the messaging app's new privacy policy.

India's technology ministry asked WhatsApp in a May 18 letter to withdraw its updated privacy policy, which came into effect on May 15, and also said the government could take legal action against the company.

"We have responded to the Government of India's letter and assured them that the privacy of users remains our highest priority," the company said in a statement on Monday. WhatsApp also said its update did not change the privacy of peoples' personal messages.

WhatsApp earlier this year said users would have to review its updated terms by February 8 but delayed the rollout of new business features to mid-May following a global user backlash over the company's data-sharing practices.

"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," the WhatsApp statement said.

With more than 500 million people using its services, India is WhatsApp's biggest market and the company has big expansion plans in the country.

WhatsApp's new privacy policy, which allows it to share limited user data with Facebook and its group companies, has led to at least one legal battle in India, while the anti-trust regulator has also ordered an investigation.

© Thomson Reuters 2021

It's Google I/O time this week on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, as we discuss Android 12, Wear OS, and more. Later (starting at 27:29), we jump over to Army of the Dead, Zack Snyder's Netflix zombie heist movie. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.