Govt's new policy will make deleting Whatsapp messages illegal

The government has drafted a new encryption policy through which it will have access to all encrypted information including a citizen's personal email, messages or data stored in a private business server, reports The Indian Express.

The policy demands users to save all encrypted communication data for at least 90 days. The government also want the users to give up their encryption keys. It also wants users to allow access  to security agencies, in text format if needed.  

The Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) drafted the policy under Section 84A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

The draft covers all messaging service and emails including Gmail and Whatsapp as it applies to all instant messages and email.

Also Read: The Draft National Encryption Policy- The good, the bad and the downright ugly