As the tensions between social media companies and the Indian government continue to escalate, here is our quick explainer on what is happening.
What’s New?
Sources told Reuters that WhatsApp has filed a legal complaint in Delhi against the Indian government. The lawsuit asks the Delhi government to declare that one of the new rules is a violation of privacy rights in India’s constitution.
The Backstory
Earlier on February 25, the Indian government announced a new set of IT rules, which has to be followed by all social media platforms operating in the country. The government said that the new IT rules and guidelines will come into effect on May 26, 2021.
According to the rules, the big tech firms should have a chief compliance officer in India who can swiftly respond to the Centre’s demands and needs as and when needed. The rules also ask these social media firms to hire a nodal officer, who will coordinate with law enforcement agencies around the round, whenever the government needs.
The companies have also been asked to hire a grievance redressal officer, who will help social media users with their grievances. The rules also ask social media companies like WhatsApp to ensure that they can trace a message to the original sender.
The Problem
These rules sound simple. So, why aren’t social media companies following them, and why is WhatsApp suing the Indian government? Well, all the WhatsApp messages are end-to-end encrypted. But the Centre’s rule to trace a message to the original sender “…would break end-to-end encryption and fundamentally undermines people’s right to privacy,” according to WhatsApp, writes, Bloomberg.
Tracking the original sender of the message sounds like a good thing if the government wants to trace the original sender of a message, which consists of misinformation about COVID-19 or vaccines. However, it might sound like a bad idea if the government wants to trace the original sender of a message, which criticises the ruling party or the government’s actions. So, this rule might dilute user privacy.
Zooming Out
While sources say Facebook’s messaging platform, WhatsApp is suing the government, Facebook has indicated that it will comply with the IT rules. The company also said that it continues to discuss a few of the issues which need more engagement with the government. However, the news of these social media companies being banned from India might not become true as both the government and the companies themselves haven’t announced anything like that as of now.
So, we have to wait and see how this lawsuit by WhatsApp plays out and how other social media companies like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter will comply with the new rules. But for now, take a deep breath and have fun scrolling through your Instagram feed.
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