How recent snooping incident may affect the launch of WhatsApp Pay

An Israeli spyware was used to snoop of some 1,400 people globally, including 121 Indian citizens. Listen to the podcast to know how this incident might affect the launch of WhatsApp's payment service

Sukanya Roy New Delhi
WhatsApp, data privacy, data breach
Illustration: Ajay Kumar Mohanty

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1 min read Last Updated : Nov 06 2019 | 12:38 PM IST

Those waiting for a rollout of WhatsApp Pay in India might have to wait longer, as the government is planning a comprehensive safety audit of the payment platform. The messaging app has been testing its payments service in the country since last year with about a million users.

According to top officials in the finance and IT ministries, a sensitive payments system like the Unified Payments Interface, or UPI, should not be on a platform whose security is possibly compromised. RBI officials who deal with fintech also fear that financial data of Indian users may not be safe on WhatsApp Pay. The proposed audit is likely to be conducted jointly by the IT ministry and the RBI.

Systems for digital payment services need to be fool-proof, and the latest breach might not speak well of WhatsApp’s security.

Listen to the podcast to know about the WhatsApp spyware attack

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Topics :Whatsapp SpywareRBIinformation technologyUPIUnified Payment InterfaceReserve Bank of IndiaFintechIT deptIndian FinTechWhatsApp Pay

First Published: Nov 06 2019 | 12:18 PM IST

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