New Delhi: The government has decided to send a notice to whatsapp on the issue of unwanted spam calls to its users from unknown international numbers with MOS for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar Stating that the onus of user safety rests on the digital platform.
Stating that digital platforms are responsible and accountable for ensuring the safety of ‘digital citizens’, the government will respond to every instance of alleged misuse or alleged violation of users’ privacy, the minister said.
The minister’s remarks assume significance as whatsapp user There has been a huge jump in incoming international spam calls in India in the last few days. Several users complained on Twitter that a large proportion of these spam calls had country codes belonging to Indonesia (+62), Vietnam (+84), Malaysia (+60), Kenya (+254) and Ethiopia (+251). . Chandrasekhar has said that the Ministry is looking into the matter and will send a notice to WhatsApp to the point.
“The ministry is looking into it, they will send a notice to them,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an event organized by the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI).
He also said that the government is considering guidelines on what kind of permissions should be allowed for preloaded apps.
The minister clarified that platforms are responsible for ensuring the safety and trust of users. The minister said, “I have repeatedly said that openness trust, security and accountability is the responsibility of the platforms that reach out to digital citizens.”
If spam is an issue, it is definitely an issue that WhatsApp or any other messenger platform should look into. “The government will respond to every alleged misuse or allegation privacy breach,” They said.
One of the problems being investigated at this point is how these numbers are accessed by scammers. “How can they identify which numbers are on WhatsApp… are they doing it blindly… is it a database they’ve got? If there is a database is it a breach of privacy, or If not they’re doing it through a bot… sending messages to random numbers… but it’s definitely going to look at some platforms,” he said.
Chandrasekhar tweeted on Wednesday that the government would investigate claims that WhatsApp accessed smartphone users’ microphones when the phone was not in use. In a tweet, the minister had said that the government would also investigate the alleged violation of privacy afresh. digital personal data protection bill was being prepared.
On its part, WhatsApp promised to reduce unwanted and unrecognized calls by half for its customers from international numbers. The company said it is using technology like AI and machine learning to counter the threat. “…we have rapidly scaled up our AI and ML systems to significantly reduce such incidents. Our new enforcement will reduce the current calling rate by at least 50% and we expect to be able to effectively control the current incidents. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure a safe and secure experience for our users.”
Stating that digital platforms are responsible and accountable for ensuring the safety of ‘digital citizens’, the government will respond to every instance of alleged misuse or alleged violation of users’ privacy, the minister said.
The minister’s remarks assume significance as whatsapp user There has been a huge jump in incoming international spam calls in India in the last few days. Several users complained on Twitter that a large proportion of these spam calls had country codes belonging to Indonesia (+62), Vietnam (+84), Malaysia (+60), Kenya (+254) and Ethiopia (+251). . Chandrasekhar has said that the Ministry is looking into the matter and will send a notice to WhatsApp to the point.
“The ministry is looking into it, they will send a notice to them,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an event organized by the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI).
He also said that the government is considering guidelines on what kind of permissions should be allowed for preloaded apps.
The minister clarified that platforms are responsible for ensuring the safety and trust of users. The minister said, “I have repeatedly said that openness trust, security and accountability is the responsibility of the platforms that reach out to digital citizens.”
If spam is an issue, it is definitely an issue that WhatsApp or any other messenger platform should look into. “The government will respond to every alleged misuse or allegation privacy breach,” They said.
One of the problems being investigated at this point is how these numbers are accessed by scammers. “How can they identify which numbers are on WhatsApp… are they doing it blindly… is it a database they’ve got? If there is a database is it a breach of privacy, or If not they’re doing it through a bot… sending messages to random numbers… but it’s definitely going to look at some platforms,” he said.
Chandrasekhar tweeted on Wednesday that the government would investigate claims that WhatsApp accessed smartphone users’ microphones when the phone was not in use. In a tweet, the minister had said that the government would also investigate the alleged violation of privacy afresh. digital personal data protection bill was being prepared.
On its part, WhatsApp promised to reduce unwanted and unrecognized calls by half for its customers from international numbers. The company said it is using technology like AI and machine learning to counter the threat. “…we have rapidly scaled up our AI and ML systems to significantly reduce such incidents. Our new enforcement will reduce the current calling rate by at least 50% and we expect to be able to effectively control the current incidents. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure a safe and secure experience for our users.”