'Draconian draft' withdrawn by Govt

Following a public uproar over threat to privacy, the Government on Tuesday (September 22) withdrew the draft encryption policy which made it mandatory for storage of all messages, including social media, for 90 days."I personally feel that some of the expression used in the draft are giving rise to uncalled-for misgivings. Therefore, I have written to DeitY to withdraw that draft, rework it properly and thereafter put in the public domain," Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters in New Delhi.Generally, all modern messaging services like WhatsApp, Viber, Line, Google Chat, Yahoo Messenger and the like come with a high level of encryption and many a time, security agencies find it hard to intercept these messages."Yesterday, it was brought to our notice that draft has been put in the public domain seeking comments. I wish to make it very clear that it is just a draft and not the view of the government. I have noted concerns expressed... by the public," Prasad said.