As WhatsApp privacy row rages, India slaps summons notification on Facebook, Twitter

Amid WhatsApp privacy row, the executives of social media giants Facebook and Twitter have been served summons to appear before a parliamentary panel on January 21. The summons holds relevance as WhatsApp privacy policy has created a massive controversy with users railing against the app and many even choosing to delete accounts. The summons was sent by Standing Committee on Information Technology on Sunday amid the data privacy row.  Safeguarding citizens’ rights, preventing misuse of social media platforms and women security in the digital space will be discussed in the meeting.  

The official agenda of the meeting circulated to the member MPs and available on the Lok Sabha website stated: “Evidence of representatives of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and to hear the views of the representatives of Facebook and Twitter on the subject ‘Safeguarding citizens’ rights and prevention of misuse of social/online news media platforms, including special emphasis on women security in the digital space.”  

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Former union minister and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is the chairperson of the panel. The panel was constituted in September last year.

Earlier, WhatsApp had decided to delay the rollout of its new policy update to May 15 after massive criticism from users globally, including India, over concerns that data was being shared with its parent company Facebook.  

A raging debate ensued after WhatsApp said it will update its terms of service and privacy policy around how it processes user data and partners with Facebook to offer integrations across the social media giant’s products.

Concerned about the privacy of their data, many users have thronged to rival messaging platforms such as Signal and Telegram that have seen millions of downloads in the past few days.