Government orders WhatsApp clampdown, wants these 3 things implemented in India

With the public disturbed and affected by misuse of WhatsApp messenger by miscreants, Centre has stepped in and ordered that there should be a clampdown. This will benefit the common user as s/he will no longer be bombarded by the wrong kind of messages and on the mass scale there will be an end to fake and misleading news being spread.  The central government has now asked the Facebook-owned messaging app, WhatsApp to set up an entity locally (which means in India) and find a tech solution to trace the origin of fake messages on its platform.

After a meeting with WhatsApp Head Chris Daniels today, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that WhatsApp has been a significant contributor to India's digital story but it needs to find solutions to deal with "sinister developments" like mob lynching and revenge porn.

"I had a productive meeting with Chris Daniels, the CEO of WhatsApp. I complimented him for the awakening, which WhatsApp has led in the entire country... But there are also sinister developments like mob lynching and revenge porn, you must find solutions to these challenges, which are downright criminal and violation of Indian laws," he was quoted as saying by PTI.

Prasad has asked the messaging app to (i) set up a corporate entity in India, (ii) appoint a grievance officer and (iii)find a technical solution to tracing the origin of fake messages on its platform.

"... I flagged in particular, which I had said earlier also, it does not take rocket science to locate a message being circulated in hundreds and thousands... You must have a mechanism to find a solution," Prasad warned that Whatsapp could face abetment charges if no action is taken.

The IT Minister also said that the Whatsapp has assured that it is working towards complying with these points. 

India is WhatsApp`s biggest market with more than 200 million users and one where it says people forward more messages, photographs and videos than any other country. 

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There are also concerns that supporters of political parties could use social media platforms such as WhatsApp to spread false messages in the run-up to India`s national elections in 2019.

Following calls from the government to stem the platform`s misuse, WhatsApp has moved to deter mass message forwards and launched an advertising campaign to educate consumers.

In July, WhatsApp said message forwards will be limited to five chats at a time, whether among individuals or groups, and said it will remove the quick forward button placed next to media messages.