News for 'WhatsApp'

Haryana YouTuber held on charge of spying for Pak; in 5-day police custody

Haryana YouTuber held on charge of spying for Pak; in 5-day police custody

Rediff.com17 May 2025

She has been booked under the relevant sections of the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, said the police.

No govt money for upkeep of Aurangzeb's tomb, says MNS

No govt money for upkeep of Aurangzeb's tomb, says MNS

Rediff.com1 Apr 2025

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has demanded the removal of decorations and installation of CCTV surveillance at the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, Maharashtra. The party also wants a board to be installed at the site stating that Aurangzeb was buried there after trying to "finish" the Marathas. The demands come amid a push by right-wing outfits to remove the tomb. The MNS's memorandum comes amid demand by right-wing outfits to remove Aurangazeb's tomb. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said whether people like the Mughal emperor or not, his tomb is a protected monument, but his glorification will not be allowed.

Fadnavis' office receives bomb threat from Pak number

Fadnavis' office receives bomb threat from Pak number

Rediff.com28 Feb 2025

The Whatsapp helpline of Mumbai traffic police received a message from a Pakistan number containing a threat to blow up Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' office in Mantralaya, an official said on Friday.

Explained: WhatsApp's New Privacy Policy

Explained: WhatsApp's New Privacy Policy

Rediff.com24 May 2021

A WhatsApp spokesperson said the update 'does not impact the privacy of personal messages for anyone'.

Post-graduate steals auto-rickshaws for booze money

Post-graduate steals auto-rickshaws for booze money

Rediff.com10 Apr 2025

The accused, a post-graduate in commerce, who had also worked as a driver at Dubai airport, learnt the theft techniques from information available on social media platforms like YouTube and WhatsApp.

Delhi HC rejects WhatsApp, Facebook appeals over CCI probe

Delhi HC rejects WhatsApp, Facebook appeals over CCI probe

Rediff.com25 Aug 2022

The Delhi high court dismissed the appeals of WhatsApp and Facebook on Thursday against an order rejecting their challenge to a probe ordered by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) into the instant messaging platform's updated privacy policy of 2021.

Niemann gone AWOL as Freestyle Paris Grand Slam underway

Niemann gone AWOL as Freestyle Paris Grand Slam underway

Rediff.com9 Apr 2025

'We can't care about the reasons or whatever happened to Hans. We don't care. We have to focus on our tournament.'

Mahua Moitra claims fish shops being shut down, Delhi police launches probe

Mahua Moitra claims fish shops being shut down, Delhi police launches probe

Rediff.com9 Apr 2025

The Delhi Police will investigate claims by TMC MP Mahua Moitra that right-wing individuals attempted to force the closure of fish shops in South Delhi's Chittaranjan Park. Moitra posted videos and messages alleging the incident, while Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva denied the claims and called for community harmony. The police are verifying the incident's authenticity and the market's licensing status.

SC to hear Pegasus spyware probe pleas on April 29

SC to hear Pegasus spyware probe pleas on April 29

Rediff.com22 Apr 2025

The Supreme Court of India will hear a batch of pleas seeking a probe into the alleged unauthorised use of Pegasus spyware for the surveillance of journalists and others next week. The court had previously ordered a technical panel to investigate the matter but received no reports. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for some petitioners, urged the court to pass directions as the reports were not shared. The court has now listed the matter for hearing on April 29.

2 Women, 1 Boat & A Journey Around The World

2 Women, 1 Boat & A Journey Around The World

Rediff.com2 Jun 2025

'The Pacific crossing was the longest and toughest leg.' 'Temperatures dropped near zero and they navigated through two cyclones.'

Court raps police for issuing summons on WhatsApp, tells DCPs to take action

Court raps police for issuing summons on WhatsApp, tells DCPs to take action

Rediff.com31 May 2023

A Delhi court has taken a serious view of the practice of service of summons on witnesses through WhatsApp by police personnel and said the officials do not seem to have respect for superior orders.

Amid chat leak, TMC MP Roy says Mahua Moitra cried after...

Amid chat leak, TMC MP Roy says Mahua Moitra cried after...

Rediff.com8 Apr 2025

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sougata Roy has demanded the removal of Kalyan Banerjee as the party's chief whip in the Lok Sabha after a spat with fellow MP Mahua Moitra. Roy accused Banerjee of "uncivilised" behaviour on multiple occasions and cited incidents of Banerjee breaking a bottle and throwing it at the chairman of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting and making inappropriate remarks about Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. The spat between Moitra and Banerjee reportedly occurred on April 4 when a TMC delegation met the Election Commission over duplicate voter ID numbers. Banerjee was tasked with collecting signatures from TMC MPs on a memorandum to be submitted to the Election Commission, and Moitra alleged that she was not included in the signatories, leading to a heated exchange. Roy, who was present at the time, said he saw Moitra crying and complaining about Banerjee's behaviour. Roy believes that Banerjee's actions warrant his removal as chief whip and left the decision to Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee. The incident has also been highlighted in leaked WhatsApp messages, where Banerjee engaged in heated exchanges with another TMC MP, Kirti Azad, leading to further accusations of uncivilised behaviour.

More trouble brews for WhatsApp

More trouble brews for WhatsApp

Rediff.com28 Jan 2021

A majority of respondents in a survey said they will not use WhatsApp payment features and may discontinue business chat if the app shares information with Facebook and third parties, according to a survey. The survey -- conducted around WhatsApp new proposed policy across the country covering over 17,000 respondents -- found that five per cent users have deleted the app, while 22 per cent claimed to have reduced using the mobile messaging platform.

Who Says India Is Friendless?

Who Says India Is Friendless?

Rediff.com7 Jun 2025

The reality is that far from being friendless, India is better positioned in the world than at any point post-Cold War, asserts Shekhar Gupta.

Publicise undertaking given to govt in 2021: SC to WhatsApp on privacy policy

Publicise undertaking given to govt in 2021: SC to WhatsApp on privacy policy

Rediff.com1 Feb 2023

A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Justice KM Joseph asked the mobile messaging app to give advertisement in five newspapers to publicise its undertaking given to the government.

Smile never returned: Bengal's Jhalda mourns IB officer lost in Pahalgam

Smile never returned: Bengal's Jhalda mourns IB officer lost in Pahalgam

Rediff.com24 Apr 2025

A retired school headmaster from Jhalda, West Bengal, mourned the loss of his 33-year-old son, an Intelligence Bureau officer, who was killed in a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir. The incident sparked outrage and calls for justice as families and political leaders expressed grief and condemned the attack. The victims' families recounted the horrifying details of the attack and praised the courage of a local taxi driver who rescued survivors and provided support.

Yogi gets death threat over emergency WhatsApp helpline

Yogi gets death threat over emergency WhatsApp helpline

Rediff.com9 Aug 2022

Police said the message was sent allegedly by a person named Shahid on the WhatsApp number of Dial-112 helpline.

WhatsApp bans over 23.28 lakh Indian accounts in August

WhatsApp bans over 23.28 lakh Indian accounts in August

Rediff.com1 Oct 2022

Over 23.87 lakh Indian accounts were banned by WhatsApp in July.

WhatsApp virtually dumps controversial privacy policy

WhatsApp virtually dumps controversial privacy policy

Rediff.com7 May 2021

WhatsApp has scrapped its May 15 deadline for users to accept its controversial privacy policy update and said not accepting the terms will not lead to deletion of accounts.

How Shastri Buried Pakistan's Kashmir Dream

How Shastri Buried Pakistan's Kashmir Dream

Rediff.com3 Jun 2025

The high point of the 19 Shastri months was the 22-day war that he fought against great odds and won in principle, even if military historians often call it a stalemate. Pakistan saw a great opportunity to conquer Kashmir and lost. It was the last time they had the relative strength militarily and diplomatically to take Kashmir. Shastri's resolve buried that dream forever, points out Shekhar Gupta.

Meerut horror: Heart pierced, head severed, hands cut off

Meerut horror: Heart pierced, head severed, hands cut off

Rediff.com22 Mar 2025

'Muskaan brutally stabbed Saurabh in his heart, puncturing it. His neck was severed and both palms were cut off. The body was cut up into four pieces to fit it in the drum'

WhatsApp gets nod for doubling payments user base

WhatsApp gets nod for doubling payments user base

Rediff.com29 Nov 2021

Facebook-owned messaging platform WhatsApp has been granted permission to double its user base for the payments service to 40 million by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). WhatsApp has a total user base of 400 million and the development will help the platform compete better with entrenched rivals like Google Pay and Phone Pe. The US-based company had been eyeing the payments opportunity for long, but data localisation requirements had initially led to a delay.

Can RSS Put Aurangzeb's Ghost To Rest in Maharashtra?

Can RSS Put Aurangzeb's Ghost To Rest in Maharashtra?

Rediff.com1 Apr 2025

Senior RSS leader Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi's call to drop the Aurangzeb tomb controversy challenges decades of communal rhetoric in Maharashtra, igniting hopes for unity and a balanced historical narrative.

Should WhatsApp's privacy policy worry you?

Should WhatsApp's privacy policy worry you?

Rediff.com12 Jan 2021

Users well-versed in privacy laws or those concerned with their data would be worried; it could well be that many of us have already accepted the end user agreement without ado, points out Ashish Narsale.

Two women among 12 held so far in 3 states on espionage charges

Two women among 12 held so far in 3 states on espionage charges

Rediff.com19 May 2025

While six of them have been held from Punjab, five were nabbed from neighbouring Haryana, and one from Uttar Pradesh.

JioMart taps WhatsApp to deliver groceries, vegetables

JioMart taps WhatsApp to deliver groceries, vegetables

Rediff.com15 Dec 2021

Ordering groceries, vegetables and daily essentials is just a WhatsApp away as billionaire Mukesh Ambani's e-commerce platform JioMart taps into the popular messaging app to scale up online business in its fight for dominance in the giant Indian retail market with Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart. Ambani's twin children, Akash and Isha gave a preview of the ordering at Meta's second edition of the Fuel for India event on Wednesday. A new 'tap and chat' option allows users to order groceries through WhatsApp.

MX Player Is The Horse To Bet On In OTT Biz

MX Player Is The Horse To Bet On In OTT Biz

Rediff.com12 May 2025

At 250 million unique visitors a month, MX Player has for long been in the same bracket as YouTube (454 million) and Meta (324 million) in reach.

Delhi man cons 700 women on dating apps using Brazilian model's pic

Delhi man cons 700 women on dating apps using Brazilian model's pic

Rediff.com4 Jan 2025

Bisht used the fake profiles to connect with women aged between 18 and 30 years on various onlione dating platforms.

Will always protect personal messages: WhatsApp

Will always protect personal messages: WhatsApp

Rediff.com20 Jan 2021

The Indian government on Tuesday posed 14 questions to WhatsApp on its "invasive" changes in Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Now, book vaccination appointments on WhatsApp

Now, book vaccination appointments on WhatsApp

Rediff.com24 Aug 2021

To contact MyGov Corona Helpdesk chatbot, citizens can save the WhatsApp number +91 9013151515 on their phones; start a chat by typing 'Book Slot' and send it to the number.

Meta partners with Reliance Jiomart to offer grocery shopping on WhatsApp

Meta partners with Reliance Jiomart to offer grocery shopping on WhatsApp

Rediff.com30 Aug 2022

Meta Platforms Inc, the parent company of WhatsApp, will partner with Reliance JioMart for a service where WhatsApp users can buy groceries on the messaging platform from the Indian retail firm. Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer (CEO) of Meta Platforms, said in a Facebook post, "[I am] Excited to launch our partnership with JioMart in India. "This is our first-ever end-to-end shopping experience on WhatsApp--people can now buy groceries from JioMart right in a chat." "Business messaging is an area with real momentum and chat-based experiences like this will be the go-to way people and businesses communicate in the years to come," he said in an announcement coinciding with the annual general Meeting (AGM) of Reliance Industries the parent company of JioMart.

Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram face global outage

Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram face global outage

Rediff.com4 Oct 2021

'We are aware that some people are having trouble accessing our apps and products. We are working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, and we apologise for any inconvenience,' a Facebook spokesperson said.

Budding K'taka songwriter tries to extort Rs 5 cr from Salman; held

Budding K'taka songwriter tries to extort Rs 5 cr from Salman; held

Rediff.com12 Nov 2024

Mumbai Police arrested a budding songwriter for allegedly sending threat messages to Bollywood actor Salman Khan and demanding Rs 5 crore from him in the name of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Sohail Pasha, held from Raichur in Karnataka, wanted a song written by him to become famous and used this ploy for the purpose, police claimed.

Uber to launch ride-booking via WhatsApp in India

Uber to launch ride-booking via WhatsApp in India

Rediff.com2 Dec 2021

Uber and WhatsApp on Thursday announced a partnership that will allow people in the country to book a ride via WhatsApp - a global-first initiative by the ride-hailing platform. With this integration, riders will no longer need to download or use the Uber app. Everything - from user registration, booking a ride and getting a trip receipt - will be managed within the WhatsApp chat interface, a statement said. The integration is a global-first for Uber, and it will make booking a ride as easy as sending a WhatsApp message, it added.

'It Was Madness'

'It Was Madness'

Rediff.com10 May 2025

'Even known names and social media handles went berserk by stating that Karachi has been attacked and an F-16 was shot down.'

Commenting on woman colleague's hair not sexual harassment: HC

Commenting on woman colleague's hair not sexual harassment: HC

Rediff.com21 Mar 2025

The Bombay High Court ruled that a comment on a woman colleague's hair, even if accompanied by a song, does not constitute sexual harassment at work. The court set aside a bank's internal report and an industrial court order that had found a senior executive guilty of misconduct under the POSH Act, arguing that the alleged actions did not amount to sexual harassment. The court noted that the complainant herself had not perceived the comment as sexual harassment at the time and later expressed gratitude to the executive.

WhatsApp banned 18 lakh Indian accounts in March after users' complaints

WhatsApp banned 18 lakh Indian accounts in March after users' complaints

Rediff.com2 May 2022

The new IT rules -- which came into effect last year -- require large digital platforms (with over 50 lakh users) to publish compliance reports every month, mentioning the details of complaints received and action taken.

Over 22 lakh Indian WhatsApp accounts banned in Sep

Over 22 lakh Indian WhatsApp accounts banned in Sep

Rediff.com1 Nov 2021

"WhatsApp is an industry leader in preventing abuse, among end-to-end encrypted messaging services. Over the years, we have consistently invested in Artificial Intelligence and other state of the art technology, data scientists and experts, and in processes, in order to keep our users safe on our platform," a WhatsApp spokesperson said.

Delhi court discharges man accused of rape over contradictory chats

Delhi court discharges man accused of rape over contradictory chats

Rediff.com12 Nov 2024

The judge said the complainant was "well-educated and mature", and it was highly improbable that instead of lodging a complaint against the accused, she would decide to marry him.

'We built the temple', say Delhi's CR Park fish vendors amid closure threat

'We built the temple', say Delhi's CR Park fish vendors amid closure threat

Rediff.com9 Apr 2025

Fish sellers of Chittranjan Park found themselves in a state of disbelief last week when the anti-meat overdrive of the Hindu right hit the local markets with a warning to shut shops because they were close to a temple.