March 30, 2022
Can agencies snoop on Whatsapp chats? Govt sidesteps Lok Sabha query | India News
NEW DELHI: The authorities on Tuesday prevented a direct reply to a query within the Lok Sabha on whether or not WhatsApp conversations and different digital info might be tapped by the agencies, simply saying that solely authorised regulation enforcement agencies (LEAs) had been empowered to intercept, monitor or decrypt any digital info as per provisions of IT Act.
Replying to a query by BSP MP Ritesh Pandey on whether or not nationwide or worldwide agencies had been authorised to watch and decrypt any digital info together with WhatsApp conversations, and if any tips had been issued to such agencies to guard residents proper to privateness and stop abuse of energy throughout train of intelligence gathering, junior minister Ajay Kumar Mishra mentioned solely authorised LEAs had energy to intercept and analyse info generated, transmitted, acquired or saved in any laptop useful resource, as per authorized provisions of Section 69 of Information Technology Act, 2000.
“The Safeguards and review mechanism have been prescribed in Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules, 2009, Standard Operating Procedure issued for purpose,” Mishra mentioned.
Replying to a query by BSP MP Ritesh Pandey on whether or not nationwide or worldwide agencies had been authorised to watch and decrypt any digital info together with WhatsApp conversations, and if any tips had been issued to such agencies to guard residents proper to privateness and stop abuse of energy throughout train of intelligence gathering, junior minister Ajay Kumar Mishra mentioned solely authorised LEAs had energy to intercept and analyse info generated, transmitted, acquired or saved in any laptop useful resource, as per authorized provisions of Section 69 of Information Technology Act, 2000.
“The Safeguards and review mechanism have been prescribed in Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules, 2009, Standard Operating Procedure issued for purpose,” Mishra mentioned.
