Following the criticism of the messaging app, India is required to reverse its decision - and not update the terms of use • The company has about half a billion active users in the country
"Consolidation of information exposes citizens to greater security risks"
Photography:
Yinon Ben Shoshan
The fight against WhatsApp continues:
India's Ministry of Technology has asked WhatsApp to cancel the change in privacy policy, according to a report by the Reuters news agency.
"Updating the app's policy raises serious concerns about the implications for the choice and autonomy of India's citizens. Therefore, we urge you to come back from the change," read a letter sent to the app's management.
In addition, the local technology ministry is seeking clarification from WhatsApp regarding the data sharing agreement with Facebook and other commercial companies.
"Given the huge user base of WhatsApp and Facebook in India, the unification of this sensitive information also exposes a very large segment of India's citizens to greater security risks," they noted.
India has become the largest WhatsApp market in the world, with more than half a billion active users.
Following the global storm, the company announced last weekend that it is postponing for three months (from February 8 to May 15) the deadline by which users can approve the new terms of use of the app.
"We have heard from a great many people how much confusion there is around our new update," the official blog post said.
"No user account will be deleted or suspended on February 8," it was explained.
The company stressed that it would work to provide clearer explanations to users, with the main goal being to "let people check the new policy at their own pace".
