Signal app not adhering to the new rules: Officials

Messaging application Signal having end-to-end encryption is not adhering to the recent social media and intermediary guidelines, revealed the officials aware about the issue. The company is also supposedly under the Information Technology Act and the facility of safe harbour in it is not likely to be applicable due to the non-compliance, added the officials.

The officials revealed the company has given the information of a compliance office to the government according to the new guidelines. Signal is an important social media intermediary having more than 5 million users in India.

The fresh guidelines released make it mandate for companies like Signal and WhatsApp to reveal the details regarding the first originator of the message. WhatsApp has challenged the clause pertaining to the recent guidelines iteratng it is at odds with the feature of end-to-end encryption.

An official, who requests to be anonymous said, “Signal has not complied with the guidelines. Services like iMessage do not fall under the traceability clause since the significant social media intermediaries in the nature of messaging services have to comply.”

Signal did not respond over the matter.

As many as eight parties have contested the recent guidelines in several high courts, adding that they are surpassing the scope of the Information Technology Act, they have been formulated considering that.

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