Decrypting WhatsApp messages faces resistance

CHENNAI: Many individuals in the capital city of the State are not in favour of the decryption of messages on WhatsApp and feel that the government’s attempt to do so is simply an intrusion into the privacy of individuals.

In a recent hearing, WhatsApp informed the Delhi High Court that the platform would cease to operate if forced to break end-to-end encryption of messages.

The court was hearing petitions filed by WhatsApp LLC and its parent company Facebook Inc (now Meta), challenging the 2021 Information Technology (I-T) rules for social media intermediaries requiring the messaging app to trace chats and make provisions to identify the first originator of information

“The central government is already facing issues about tracking phones and more. The removal of end-to-end encryption is a violation of fundamental rights. It is an intrusion of privacy if this comes into existence,” Egmore MLA I Paranthamen.

“For issues like terrorism or illegal activities, the Union Government could get the details shared through WhatsApp but in other cases, it is a violation of the law. During the election time, we pass information between our party members, and that information if the party in power gets access, that is intruding into privacy,” he stated.

“While the FBI and CIA have been given decryption keys, they should make them available for Indian Agencies too. Anyone who wants to operate in India must adhere to the rules and regulations of the Government of India,” said KE Raghunathan, Chairman, Association of Indian Entrepreneurs.

“They should provide decryption keys or else get out like they did with China or a few other countries. Their services are available for free at this moment and even a local developer of such a platform finds it difficult to compete and survive. They can’t simply blackmail our Government and must learn to respect our regulatory mechanisms,” he said.

“If allowed to operate on their terms, it will amount to opening our gates without a watchman and it will be a threat to the Indian public in general. As long as businessmen are honest, law-abiding, and transparent, they shouldn’t be worried about such decryption,” he further stated. Nissi Susan Varghese, a banker, said that many customers, especially senior citizens in the bank, share their bank details with us through WhatsApp, and removing the end-to-end encryption will affect their safety and security.

A student from a city college said that youngsters use WhatsApp for personal chats and has become one of the most trusted methods of communication. “So intrusion from a third party affects their privacy,” he added.