At the heart of the matter is WhatsApp’s entire default service and Facebook’s specific “Secret Conversations” feature on Messenger that allows users to opt-in for end-to-end encrypted messaging. The two social media giants want the Delhi High Court to declare the traceability requirement as ultra vires (beyond the legal mandate of) the Information Technology Act, 2000, and that no criminal liability should be imposed if the companies do not implement traceability. They have also called the traceability requirement unconstitutional and violative of people’s right to privacy, as guaranteed under the Supreme Court’s Puttaswamy judgement. In two separate petitions filed with the Delhi High Court on the night of May 25, the two companies argued that the traceability requirement-mandated under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, notified in February 2021-will force them to break end-to-end encryption. WhatsApp and its parent company Facebook are finally going on the offensive to protect end-to-end encryption.

This led to a lot of speculation that an all-out attack encryption could be on the cards, with the potential for encryption-using services like WhatsApp and Snapchat banned in the UK.īut the government's clarification means it's unlikely that we'll see these services banned any time soon, while today's ruling has ensured the services will be safe from intrusion for the time being.The heart of the matter are WhatsApp’s entire default service and Facebook’s specific “Secret Conversations” feature on Messenger that allows users to opt-in for end-to-end encrypted messaging Image: Shutterstock Last month, David Cameron hinted that a crack-down on encryption could be on the cards, though it wasn't explicitly said out loud. And indeed, Downing Street later debunked the myth. We didn't report on this for one simple reason: there was no evidence that anyone had said it. This week, many of the UK press have reported that the UK government wants to ban WhatsApp as part of the Snooper's Charter. The home secretary has been granted permission to appeal against the ruling, but for now, your apps are safe.

Is whatsapp safe from government