IT Ministry Gives Ultimatum to WhatsApp on Privacy Policy

Raising concerns over the recently announced changes to WhatsApp's privacy policy, the Union Ministry of Electronics and IT has asked the messaging platform to withdraw the recent change.

In its strongly worded letter to WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart, the ministry has slammed the platform's "all or nothing" approach.

The letter noted that the proposed changes to the privacy policy raise "grave concerns regarding the implications for the choice and autonomy of Indian citizens."

The new policy announced earlier this month asked users to agree to the new terms by February 8. It said that not agreeing to the new terms would lead to a loss of access to their accounts. The sudden move sparked a lot of criticism across quarters and the demand for other messaging apps surged overnight.

A petition has also been filed in the Supreme Court against WhatsApp. On Saturday, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) filed a plea urging the top court to direct the platform to withdraw its new privacy policy.

Further, amid intense criticism worldwide, the Facebook-owned platform has deferred its new data privacy policy by three months.