India challenges WhatsApp and asks for the removal of the new terms: “This is unfair and unacceptable”
The controversy caused by the new terms of use for WhatsApp, which even led to its application being delayed until May, has prompted the Indian government to take action on this issue.
To the extent that the Indian government has asked WhatsApp to reverse the changes made to its new privacy policy and cancel the changes permanently.
The new terms of use for WhatsApp state that if you do not share your data with Facebook, your account may be closed, a measure that does not apply in the European Union thanks to the data protection law in place since 2018 but will impact other countries around the world, such as India.
Android Authority reported that the Indian government requested WhatsApp, through the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), to withdraw the changes introduced in its new privacy policy.
This ministry sent a letter to WhatsApp’s CEO, Will Cathcart, asking him to cancel the changes made to the new terms of use for the application and stating in the letter, “Any unilateral changes to the terms of service and privacy” by WhatsApp will not be fair and acceptable”.
This message was sent only one day after the Supreme Court in Delhi responded to a petition stating that accepting the new privacy policy on WhatsApp was voluntary and users could choose not to accept it.
If WhatsApp finally succumbs to pressure from the Indian government and withdraws its new terms of use, this could set a precedent unprecedented in the technology industry in general and social networks in particular.
