WhatsApp and its parent company, Meta, have no plans to shut down their services in India, according to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Addressing the Rajya Sabha on Friday, Vaishnaw stated that neither WhatsApp nor Meta has informed the government of any such intentions.
“The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has shared that WhatsApp or Meta has not informed the government about any such plans,” Vaishnaw confirmed in a written reply.
The clarification came in response to a query from Congress member Vivek Tankha, who asked whether WhatsApp was considering ceasing operations in India due to government directives to share user details.
Earlier this year, WhatsApp had informed the Delhi High Court that it would cease operations in India if forced by the government to break message encryption. WhatsApp and Meta had challenged the newly amended IT Rules, arguing that they violated the right to privacy and were unconstitutional.
Responding to Tankha’s question regarding curbs on social media platforms, Vaishnaw explained that the central government issues directives under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. These directives are issued in the interest of India’s sovereignty, defense, state security, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, or for preventing incitement to any cognizable offense related to these areas, specifically concerning information on a computer resource.
This assurance from Vaishnaw aims to dispel concerns regarding the continuity of WhatsApp services in India, emphasizing the government’s ongoing commitment to maintaining a balance between regulatory oversight and user privacy.
