Intent of message traceability under IT rules not to weaken encryption of platforms, says govt

The requirement for messaging platforms to trace the originator of a message has not been brought in with an intention to break or weaken encryption, and companies are free to come up with alternative technological solutions to implement this rule, as per FAQs released by the government on Monday.

The new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 were announced by the government earlier this year.

Facebook-owned WhatsApp had then approached the Delhi High Court challenging the new IT rules for social media intermediaries that require the messaging app to make provisions to identify the first originator of information.