Govt looking into WhatsApp privacy policy changes: Ravi Shankar Prasad

Amid a user backlash over a new privacy policy of WhatsApp, the Indian government on Tuesday said it is looking into the changes made by the popular messaging app, and asserted that sanctity of personal communication needs to be maintained.

Speaking at the 15th India Digital Summit, Communications, Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad noted that national security will be central with regard to exposure of international companies, including those from China, in the country.

WhatsApp has drawn massive criticism from users globally, including India over concerns that data was being shared with its parent company, Facebook. WhatsApp, on its part, has maintained that messages on the platform are end-to-end encrypted and that neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see the private messages on WhatsApp’s platform.