Government’s clarification on encryption controversy, WhatsApp and social media are not included

It is possible that in the coming days, we may see a big change in the way we use WhatsApp or other communication services on our phones. The central government is considering making a policy under which users and companies will have to store all messages. This was revealed by NDTV on Monday. Within a few hours of the revelation, the government has clarified its position on the proposal of the new encryption policy. The government said that social media will not be included in the proposal that is currently under discussion.

1. The draft copy of the new encryption policy was widely criticized on the Internet. After this, the government took action on the whole matter Explanation Gave.

2. When you send a WhatsApp message, it is automatically encrypted and then once it reaches the other user, it is automatically decrypted and converted into plain text.

3. In services like WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessage, encryption is automatic. During a conversation between two users, the encryption keys are automatically set on both devices. In such a case, the user does not have to do anything.

4. Experts are concerned about the language of the new National Encryption Policy on which the Central Government has sought feedback from the public. It was clearly written in it that the user will have to store plain text messages for 90 days. (Read the original draft by clicking here.,

5. According to the draft released by the Ministry of Information and Technology, “All service providers operating from India and outside India who are providing any kind of service through encryption technology will have to enter into an agreement with the central government to provide service in India.”

6. The language of the policy was very flexible due to which many apps and services like WhatsApp were coming under its purview. After receiving negative response on social media, the government said that social media, internet banking and e-commerce will not come under the new guidelines.

7. For other categories, if the policy is approved, platforms and services that do not compromise with the government for encryption will be declared illegal in India.

8. Companies or businesses (not including internet banking, social media and e-commerce) will have to store encrypted and plain text messages. And those messages will also have to be made available when asked by government investigative agencies.

9. It was the year 2010. The then UPA government and BlackBerry came face to face over the interception of the company’s email server and BlackBerry Messenger service. The then government had even said at one point that if BlackBerry did not allow the country’s security agencies to scrutinise the emails sent using its server, then the BlackBerry Messenger service would be banned. Finally, an agreement was reached between the government and BlackBerry, under which the government could also intercept messages sent from BlackBerry’s platform.

10. You can also give feedback on the National Encryption Policy proposed by the government. You akrishnan@deity.gov.in You will need to email at .