WhatsApp and Hike users can breathe a sigh of relief. The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking a ban on instant messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Hike, which have end-to-end encryption.
A Haryana-based RTI activist, who was addicted to WhatsApp, had moved the Supreme Court asking the Court to look into the encryption policy of the app.
A bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, TS Thakur has asked the petitioner to to approach the government or any telecom tribunal.
Claiming that messaging platforms were a threat to security, the petitioner had stated that it was impossible for the government or WhatsApp itself to break the encryption on messages thereby giving terrorists a big advantage.
He had earlier told Scroll, “I know WhatsApp is a great app and I spend hours on it but this is about you and me.” He added, “If we know that information on drugs and rave parties is going through WhatsApp and the government can’t decrypt these messages, then it’s harmful to the country.”