No Roadmap to Check Objectionable Content on WhatsApp, Admits Government Indo-Asian News Service, 28 July 2017

No Roadmap to Check Objectionable Content on WhatsApp, Admits Government

 
Indo-Asian News Service, 28 July 2017

No Roadmap to Check Objectionable Content on WhatsApp, Admits Government

HIGHLIGHTS

The government on Friday virtually expressed its helplessness about checking objectionable content uploaded on online messaging site WhatsApp as they are encrypted end-to-end and no third party can access them.
The government can take action once the content is reported as it has laws in place, Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told Congress member Raj Babbar in the Rajya Sabha in reply to a question.
The member had asked whether the government has any plan to stop sharing of objectionable videos through mobiles and WhatsApp.
In the answer, Prasad cited laws that deal with offences of publishing or transmitting objectionable contents. He admitted that instances of objectionable videos being uploaded through mobile phones and shared through WhatsApp have been noticed but added that messages are end-to-end encryptedand cannot be seen by a third party.
"Instances of objectionable videos being uploaded through mobile phones and shared through WhatsApp have been noticed. According to WhatsApp, the messages are end-to-end encrypted and they and any third party cannot read them. In other words, the messages are only seen by the sender and the receiver," he said in the reply.
"WhatsApp provides a feature to report any objectionable content. However, they also admit that since they do not have the contents of the messages available with them, it limits their ability to take action. A user can take screenshot of the content and share it with appropriate law enforcement authorities," he added.
The Minister further said that the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, as amended in 2008, provides for punishment for publishing or transmitting objectionable contents including sexually explicit and obscene material.
"Concerned law enforcement agencies take necessary action for violation noticed or reported as per the law," he said.
There have been instances of anti-social elements using WhatsApp to fan communal passions in the recent past.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

South Korea Suspends THAAD Deployment

Image
South Korea Suspends THAAD Deployment The new president of South Korea has halted the deployment of a controversial missile defense system designed to protect the country from incoming enemy missiles. The  Terminal High Altitude Air Defense system , or THAAD, was agreed to by the previous administration as a means to defend both South Korea and the U.S. troops based there from North Korean missile attack. Earlier this year South Korean President Park Geun-hye agreed to the deployment of the US-made THAAD missiles to her country. South Korea had waffled for years on the deployment, which was urged by the Pentagon, but the  breakneck pace of North Korea's missile tests —and what appeared to be an imminent nuclear test—forced the country's hand. President Park was impeached and removed from office this spring on corruption charges. The new president, Moon Jae-in, has criticized the previous administration's decision to deploy THAAD, saying it it should have b
Read more

With new Porsche Panamera, E-Hybrid means massive power

With new Porsche Panamera, E-Hybrid means massive power The 911 pace car ahead of me raced up the main straight and took the ascent up through Turn 1 of the Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit without a flash of brakelights. Behind the wheel of the 2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, I tried to close the distance. My car weighed a lot more but it also boasted substantially more power. The pace car's brakes went on hard before Turn 2, a strategy I emulated. The very tight corners on this tiny track gave the smaller 911 a natural advantage. To close the distance, I quickly learned that, to access the Panamera's 680 horsepower I needed to really put the pedal down, as the throttle felt modulated for smooth on-road driving. On the third of a succession of turns, I steered too tight and the Panamera's rear end began to wag. It wasn't pretty, but it wasn't devastating, either. Under Porsche's direction, I was driving with the Panamera's Porsche Stabili
Read more

Apple Says It Is Removing VPN Services From China App Store

Apple Says It Is Removing VPN Services From China App Store HIGHLIGHTS Apple Inc says it is removing virtual private network (VPN) services from its app store in China, drawing criticism from VPN service providers, who accuse the U.S. tech giant of bowing to pressure from Beijing cyber regulators. VPNs allow users to bypass China's so-called "Great Firewall" aimed at restricting access to overseas sites. In January, Beijing passed laws seeking to ban all VPNs that are not approved by state regulators. Approved VPNs must use state network infrastructure. In a statement on Sunday, an  Apple  spokeswoman confirmed it will remove apps that don't comply with the law from its China App Store, including services based outside the country. Beijing has shut down dozens of China-based providers and it has been targeting overseas services as it bids to tighten its control over the internet, especially ahead of the Communist Party congress in August. While per
Read more