WhatsApp has told the Delhi High Court that it will choose to shut down its operations in India if it is forced to break message encryption. "End-to-end encryption protects user privacy by ensuring only the sender and recipient can access message content," WhatsApp told the Court. For the unversed, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 require social media and other companies to trace chats and identify message originators when required by law-enforcement authorities.
WhatsApp's submission in the court has sparked debate. If there are those who are supporting the company, others say that WhatsApp is resorting to the threat of closing down its operations because it has something to hide. "Start talking about cosmetics or shoes with your wife in WA, keep using a specific brand name over and over again in the chat; and then notice ads of that thing in your Facebook or Instagram feed in a few days. Clown-to-clown encryption it is," a Twitter user wrote.
Others hold the view that privacy of citizens has been sought to be compromised by the Government of India. "People don't realise how precious privacy is. Should be concerned that the government is trying to chip away at our privacy. Instead, people are rejoicing over it being asked to share the identity of the originators of messages," another Netizen wrote, criticizing the government.
