There's been a lot of conversation around WhatsApp and its controversial privacy policy over the last couple of weeks. In fact, a lot of people have started switching to other apps already. And now, the government has decided to step in.

Yes, the government has asked WhatsApp to withdraw its controversial privacy policy. Additionally, it has asked the company to respect the "informational privacy and data security of Indian users.

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According to sources, the government has sent a long list of questions to the company on the issue. It has also noted that having a lenient update for Europe while being stringent in India is discriminatory for Indian users. There's been a lot of discussions surrounding that as well, so it's good to see the government bringing it up.

TOI noted that the government has expressed displeasure at how the matter was unveiled by WhatsApp and asked them to take immediate steps to sort it out. What's more interesting is that even a letter has been sent to WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart.

The government is said to have expressed strong concerns about the policy that has been proposed by the company. The letter says that the update and data-sharing with Facebook will expose Indian users to "greater security risks and vulnerabilities creating a honeypot of information.

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It looks like the government is also strongly against the "all-or-nothing approach" of WhatsApp where it has asked the users to either accept the new T&C or ready to stop using the app and its services. The sources said that "differential and discriminatory treatment of Indian and European users is attracting serious criticism and shows lack of respect for the rights and interests of Indian citizens."

Obviously, it remains to be seen what comes out of this whole debacle and whether or not WhatsApp will pull back its new policy. For now, you still have the chance to accept the new terms and continue using them. The company recently extended the deadline till May 15, and we doubt if there'll further extension. We'd like to know what are your thoughts on this, so be sure to let us know by dropping a line in the comments.

Source: TOI

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