WhatsApp, IT Act 21 and Excessive Communication

By Kailash Saini

WhatsApp is a common messaging app which personalizes communication among the public. Its garnered a lot of traction since its data sharing and privacy issues a few months back and now, Indian government has decided to strengthen the IT laws 2021, that would make more accountability towards fake and viral communication. App’s officials have appealed against the government decisions in the high court.

Why is WhatsApp so concerned about the privacy of Indian people, when there are many reports in the media which show that It has already compromised with the privacy issues. This is the time of fake news and misinformation, it is obvious in the age of this digital media, where everyone has to access the spreading tools of information and opinions and WhatsApp has the majority as a popular medium of personal and mass communication via its sister app.

Definitely these new IT laws will affect the personal communication, but there would be some relief in fake and viral communication which is the prominent challenge among the society, especially in this testing time, WhatsApp is an International communication medium and as Twitter did with Kangna Ranaut a few days back on hate speech policy. These platforms are dominating in nature, but sometimes its not possible to dominate.

WhatsApp and Facebook always used to dominate in making their own laws that can benefit only them, but how it is possible by laws and ethics. When you are a big bull in communication all over the world you obviously would like to dominate, but how can you expect cooperation from the administration of authorities all the time. 

Being a prominent medium, you should have some extent of accountability towards your public and the state where you are doing the business. The new IT laws will help in minimizing the excessive dose of communication, which is unnecessary most of the time. There would be less chance of baseless debates.

Recently we have seen that there were many social media messages were spread via WhatsApp of seeking help regarding covid medicine such as Remdesivir, oxygen and other, and many of the people report that they were being cone many of the time, so in these kinds of situation the New IT laws help in detecting the main creator of a particular communication.

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