Swarna Shukla –
Published On: October 23, 2021 at 10:00 IST
The Central Government opposed Whatsapp’s Plea challenging new Information Technology Rules and requested the Delhi High Court to dismiss it.
The Central Government informed the Court that Whatsapp is a foreign commercial entity that does not have a physical presence in India and is engaged in the business of disseminating information created by its users.
The Government responding to Whatsapp’s Petition Challenging the requirement in the 2021 IT Rules to enable traceability of online messages.
The Government further stated that the Petition is Unconstitutional as the company is a foreign Entity and cannot assert Rights under Article 21, including the Right to Privacy.
The Union Government in February 2021, introduced new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, making it mandatory for social media intermediaries like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp to trace chats and make Provisions to identify the first originator of the Information.
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