Heena Sharma Blog

WhatsApp has told the government it could have worked better with authorities regarding the use of Israeli spyware, Pegasus, allegedly used to snoop on Indian citizens. The spyware had exploited vulnerability in the messaging application’s code. In a communication to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), WhatsApp assured the government it would engage more to address issues that impact Indian citizens’ privacy, said sources. A WhatsApp spokesperson said the messaging service was committed to protecting the privacy of its over 400 million users in India. “ The government also plays a critical role here and we are committed to continuing to engage with it in a timely manner on sensitive issues related to user privacy and security. We regret that we have not met the government’s expectations on proactive engagement on these issues and will strive to do better,” the spokesperson added. According to an official at the MeitY, there could be a delay in ...

WhatsApp on Thursday introduced fingerprint lock on supported Android phones to help users protect their chats from being seen by hackers, family members or jilted lovers. Users who install the new version of WhatsApp will have to scan a fingerprint to open up the Facebook-owned platform. "Earlier this year, we rolled out Touch ID and Face ID for iPhone to provide an extra layer of security for WhatsApp users," the micro-blogging platform said in a statement. "Today we're introducing similar authentication, allowing you to unlock the app with your fingerprint, on supported Android phones," it added. To enable it, tap Settings, go to Account, then Privacy and Fingerprint Lock. Turn on Unlock with fingerprint, and confirm your fingerprint. Read More Article Source -> Business Standard

WhatsApp Global Head Will Cathcart on Wednesday said the company could roll out its payments service to users across India later this year. The messaging app , which has about 400 million users in India, has been testing its payments in the country since last year with about a million users. Cathcart said the company's vision is to make sending money as easy as sending a message on the platform. "We believe that if we get this right, it will accelerate financial inclusion and bring value for people in India's fast growing digital economy, We can't wait to provide the service more of our users all across India later this year," he said at an event. WhatsApp's service, which would compete against the likes of Paytm, PhonePe and Google Pay, is yet to be rolled out nationally in India. The Facebook-owned company, which has over 1.5 billion users globally, is looking rolling out its payments service in other markets as well. WhatsApp's ambitious ...