Messaging service WhatsApp has 200 million users in India
Messaging service WhatsApp, which has been used to share videos of Indian women being raped, told the Supreme Court today that it will help to block "sexually offensive" content from being shared on social media.
Executives from the instant-messaging company, which has 200 million users in India, which is based in the US, will travel to India for a meeting on the 27th. They will meet with a committee created last month by the top court to stop the distribution of footage of sexual offences. The members include representatives of internet giants like Google and Facebook and government officials.
In 2015, the
CBI was asked to investigate two different videos of gang-rapes which were being shared on WhatsApp.
WhatsApp, which was bought by Facebook in 2014, was represented in the Supreme Court today by Congress leader and former Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal. "They (Whatsapp Inc) are sending their people to sit with the committee and explain everything," he told the judges.
At the interaction, WhatsApp's reps will demo its famous encryption technology which protects users' privacy, as well as discuss technical solutions to blocking videos of sexual crimes.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court asked WhatsApp to email a presentation or video-conference its suggestions on how to prevent social media from being misused to circulate sexually exploitative videos.
The court has been petitioned by Prajwala, an NGO from Hyderabad, which sent a pen drive with two filmed rapes to judges, seeking their intervention.