Is Government Monitoring Your WhatsApp Chats? PIB Debunks Claims

A message is circulating on the Internet claiming that the government has allegedly issued new WhatsApp guidelines to monitor chats.

In times when cybercrimes are on a rampant rise, people are living with a fear of their data being hacked. Besides the threat, people are also being instilled with the fear that their WhatsApp chats are also being monitored by the government. Lately, a message has been doing rounds on the Internet, which claims that the government has allegedly issued new WhatsApp guidelines to monitor chats. Is it true? Should you be scared of such messages and believe that even your personal chats are not safe? Debunking the viral message, the Press Information Bureau, or PIB, has come out to clarify the claims.

PIB Debunks Viral Message

The PIB said that the claims of “three ticks appearing on WhatsApp chats would mean it is getting monitored”, are fake adding that no such guideline has been issued. The PIB said, “This message is FAKE. The Government has released no such guideline.”

Claim: The Government of India has released a new #WhatsApp guideline to monitor chats and take action against people

#PIBFactCheck :

__ This message is #FAKE

__The Government has released no such guideline pic.twitter.com/QfinjvOEtu — PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) July 30, 2023

WhatsApp Chats Are ‘end-to-end encrypted’

Users need not worry as WhatsApp chats are “end-to-end encrypted.” The Meta-owned platform’s website reads, “WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption is used when you chat with another person using WhatsApp Messenger. End-to-end encryption ensures only you and the person you're communicating with can read or listen to what is sent, and nobody in between, not even WhatsApp.”

Viral claims Made About WhatsApp Chats

The purported WhatsApp message alerts users claiming that a single tick means the message is sent successfully while a double tick means it has been delivered. If these tick marks turn blue means the message has been read. The viral message went on to claim that two blue and one red tick means that the government is screening users' data adding further that "three red ticks" signify that an action has been initiated against the users.

Notably, a similar claim surfaced last year in August. At that time, the PIB had assured that no such guidelines were issued. The users need to keep in mind that their WhatsApp chats are secured and they do not need to turn on any special settings for the same.