No Plans for WhatsApp to Cease Operations in India

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed that WhatsApp and its parent company, Meta, do not intend to shut down their services in India.

This statement was written in response to the Rajya Sabha, addressing a question posed by Congress member Vivek Tankha. Tankha inquired whether WhatsApp was planning to cease operations in India due to government directives to share user details.

Concerns Over New IT Rules:

The query came from WhatsApp’s concerns regarding India’s new IT rules, which the company argued could break end-to-end encryption. Earlier this year, WhatsApp informed the Delhi High Court that it might have to discontinue its services in India if compelled to break message encryption.

The company’s lawyer, Tejas Karia, emphasized that such actions would undermine user privacy, erode trust, and require the storage of millions of messages for extended periods. WhatsApp and Meta have legally challenged the amended IT Rules, asserting that they infringe upon the right to privacy.

Government’s Position:

In his response to Parliament, Ashwini Vaishnaw explained that the government issues directions under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 to protect India’s sovereignty, integrity, defense, security, and public order.

He clarified that neither WhatsApp nor Meta had informed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) about any plans to discontinue their services in India.

Impact of Potential Withdrawal:

WhatsApp’s potential exit from India would have a significant impact, given its massive user base of over 400 million people.

The platform is widely used for personal and business communication, making it a critical component of India’s digital ecosystem.