Will exit India if told to break encryption: WhatsApp to Delhi HC

Will exit India if told to break encryption: WhatsApp to Delhi HC

WhatsApp challenges Indian government’s rule requiring identification of first originator of information. Firm refuses to compromise on end-to-end encryption, citing violation of privacy rights. Delhi High Court to decide on constitutionality of the rule.

WhatsApp informed the Delhi High Court today that the platform would cease to operate if forced to break end-to-end encryption of messages. Advocate Tejas Karia, representing WhatsApp, emphasised the platform’s commitment to privacy and encrypted communication.

“As a platform, we are saying, if we are told to break encryption, then WhatsApp goes,” Karia told a Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, according to a report by the Bar and Bench.