Amid all the pressure to stop sinister and fake messages, WhatsApp said Wednesday it will appoint head of India operations by the end of this year. This decision was taken when WhatsApp Vice President Chris Daniels met IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to discuss the issue of fake messages that have in the past triggered mob killings.
“Our new Head of WhatsApp India, who will be named by the end of the year, will build a local team that can serve our customers in India as well as work with partners and government leaders to help keep people safe,” WhatsApp spokesperson said.
Whatsapp is highly committed to serve the Indian audience and work closely with civil society and government leaders to help address abuse on the platform.
The government has stood firm in its stance on traceability, and made it clear that it is not seeking decryption of messages on WhatsApp but rather wants the location and identification of senders of misinformation that provokes violence and heinous offences.
“We appreciate the opportunity to meet with government leaders, including Minister Prasad who confirmed his support for encryption and the privacy of our users,” the spokesperson said.