WhatsApp: IT ministry again directs company to withdraw new privacy policy

Amid a lot of speculations on the Facebook-owned WhatsApp privacy policy update that recently went live on the app, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has directed WhatsApp to withdraw the updated policy.

WhatsApp had earlier claimed that it officially deferred its new Privacy Policy beyond 15th May, 2021. However, the Ministry in its communication on Tuesday, 18 May, 2021, stated that “deferral of the privacy policy beyond 15th May 2021 does not absolve WhatsApp from respecting the values of informational privacy, data security and user choice for Indian users,” the IT Ministry said in a statement seen by Mint.