Government Modi: WhatsApp is looking for the head of India: Dare to apply?

WhatsApp has announced the appointment of its director of operations in India by the end of the year. According to reports, the company is also looking to visit India in April. WhatsApp messages are increasingly seen as a tool for inciting violence by the crowd, the company is under pressure to form a local team with a head. In September, he appointed a grievance officer for India after being pressured by the government. Now, the government has requested that the officer be stationed in India and not in the United States.

This will expose the agent to Indian law.

Although the WhatsApp CEO in India is a coveted position, it carries its own risks when the government increasingly feels that society is not doing enough to stop the spread of false messages inciting violence.

The position of Whatsapp India's head could result in personal legal liability. The messaging platform has had problems in other parts of the world because of the messages circulating on its platform. In 2016, a senior executive of Facebook Inc. was arrested in Brazil following a request from a court asking the company to provide data from its WhatsApp messaging service in order to contribute to an investigation on drug trafficking.

"Our new manager of WhatsApp India, who will be appointed by the end of the year, will be a local team that can serve our Indian clients and work with their partners and government leaders to ensure the safety of our customers. people, "said WhatsApp to a statement by email to PTI.

In April, WhatsApp published the job description on Facebook: "WhatsApp is looking for an exceptional individual to lead our efforts in India, including products for individuals and businesses, as well as our interest in peer-to-peer payments. is a management position that requires product experience as well as his track record of success in leading partnerships and business development in India.This leader will have to establish a close partnership with product and service teams. 39 engineering to influence the direction and effectively represent the long-term strategy of WhatsApp. "

WhatsApp was fired in India following a series of lynching incidents allegedly triggered by provocative messages circulating on its platform. So much so that IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had warned that WhatsApp could face charges of indictment if it did not respect Indian law.

The point of blockage between WhatsApp and the government is the sharing of details of the user. The government says that it only wants traceability and not decryption of messages. She only wants the location and identification of the sender of WhatsApp messages when these lead to the provocation of violence. However, the company has repeatedly stated that ensuring traceability would contravene its end-to-end encryption standard. In an email interview with ET, Chris Daniels, CEO of WhatsApp, said the messaging service was unlikely to give up the "essential" question of maintaining its encryption standards.

The CEO of WhatsApp India will have to solve these thorny issues that will become even more complex next year when general elections are due to be held.