We all use WhatsApp to talk to our parents, friends, just about everyone. But in the daily exchange of sharing good morning messages, overnight party scenes, info on where to get alcohol on dry days and numerous other activities, we tend to forget that all these messages are actually very public. Yet only a few are aware of the details about privacy in the app. In this world of private details being disturbingly public, teens tend to be vulnerable victims.
An increasing number of people are landing in trouble because of the content they share on WhatsApp. Delhi Police registered an FIR on the basis of a complaint by a woman who alleged that two men passed lewd comments on her character in a WhatsApp group chat. 34 pilots were questioned because of their group chat in which they spoke about the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). We speak to teenezins about how careful they are while texting and sharing on WhatsApp.
18-old Srishti Sharma has been using WhatsApp since last year. She admits having heard news related to WhatsApp chats, but feels that at her age, there is hardly anything that could bring trouble, “We speak about our party scenes on WhatsApp. I’m about to get into college and I know I will be a part of many groups. If there’s a long discussion about anything, I always prefer calling that person.”
But Satyabhan Singh, a student of journalism, prefers being cautious. He says that he is very careful in terms of what he is messaging. “I try being very careful, even if it’s not a group chat. It happens very often that we say something in a humorous way and the other person gets offended by it. In terms of privacy, even if it is displayed that our messages are encrypted every time we start a new chat, I’m afraid that those encryptions can be easily hacked,” says the 19-year-old.
According to Pavan Duggal, cyber law expert, any expectation of our messages on WhatsApp being private must be instantly discarded. “There is nothing known as private on WhatsApp. There is also no safety and immunity from legal experts on the app. According to Section 39 of the Indian Information Technology Act, 2000 — which talks about liability of networks and its providers — if you are a WhatsApp group administrator, you also become a network service provider. This means that a WhatApp group admin will be held credible for anything against the law that is published on the group. That’s why people are finding themselves on the other side of the law these days,” says Pavan.
When 19-year-old Sehaj Sachdeva, who is admin of multiple groups on WhatsApp, got to know about the above, he felt both responsible and scared. “Nothing vulgar or offensive has been shared on my groups, which have a lot of my friends. We discuss about our classes and share jokes. But yes, after knowing about this law, I do feel that I should take responsibility,” says Sehaj.
Terming the app a “double-edged sword”, Pavan adds, “It is like you are yourself putting your neck in the hands of another person. The other person will twist it and you won’t know how a small issue turned big!”
