WhatsApp sues India govt, says new IT rules mean end to privacy

Facebook owned WhatsApp has filed in a case against the new Indian IT Rules that come into effect from Wednesday. The Rules require firms like Whatsapp to “trace” the origin of particular messages sent on the service. The case was filed in the Delhi High Court on 25 May.

A Spokesperson for the instant messaging service said “Requiring messaging apps to “trace” chats is the equivalent of asking us to keep a fingerprint of every single message sent on WhatsApp, which would break end-to-end encryption and fundamentally undermines people’s right to privacy.”

The company has consistently joined civil society and experts around the world in opposing requirements that would violate the privacy of its users. “In the meantime, we will also continue to engage with the Government of India on practical solutions aimed at keeping people safe, including responding to valid legal requests for the information available to us,” it added.