News for 'whatsapp'

WhatsApp bans over 4.5mn accounts in India in Feb

WhatsApp bans over 4.5mn accounts in India in Feb

Rediff.com1 Apr 2023

WhatsApp had banned 2.9 million accounts in January, 3.6 million accounts in December and 3.7 million accounts in November.

Heatwave grips North India as mercury nearing 50 deg C

Heatwave grips North India as mercury nearing 50 deg C

Rediff.com14 Jun 2025

The India meteorological department said heatwave conditions will persist for at least two more days.

Twist in ED bribery case: Kerala bizman denies officer's involvement

Twist in ED bribery case: Kerala bizman denies officer's involvement

Rediff.com8 Jun 2025

Sources said Babu, during the recording of his statement last week in Delhi, has "denied" knowledge of involvement of any ED officer vis-a-vis the VACB case, saying he "only" knows a person named Wilson.

India bans 16 Pak YouTube channels, raps BBC for calling Pahalgam terrorists 'militants'

India bans 16 Pak YouTube channels, raps BBC for calling Pahalgam terrorists 'militants'

Rediff.com28 Apr 2025

The Indian government has blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content as well as false and misleading narratives against India, its Army and security agencies. The decision was taken following recommendations from the Ministry of Home Affairs in the wake of the April 22 terror attack at Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.

Spam calls: Govt notice to WhatsApp, says onus of user safety with platforms

Spam calls: Govt notice to WhatsApp, says onus of user safety with platforms

Rediff.com11 May 2023

The digital platforms are responsible and accountable for ensuring the safety of 'digital nagriks', the minister said, adding that the government will respond to every instance of alleged misuse or alleged breach of users' privacy.

PSL match postponed; English players may return home

PSL match postponed; English players may return home

Rediff.com8 May 2025

PSL match between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi in Rawalpindi rescheduled

IT minister pulls up WhatsApp for incorrect India map

IT minister pulls up WhatsApp for incorrect India map

Rediff.com31 Dec 2022

The minister also made it clear that "all platforms that do business in India and/or want to continue to do business in India, must use correct maps".

Man who sent death threat to Salman turns out to be mentally ill

Man who sent death threat to Salman turns out to be mentally ill

Rediff.com15 Apr 2025

The Mumbai police have issued a notice to the 26-year-old man, resident of a village in Waghodia taluka in Vadodara, to appear before them.

'After Marathi, Hindi Will Destroy Gujarati'

'After Marathi, Hindi Will Destroy Gujarati'

Rediff.com20 Jun 2025

'I don't know whether the top Gujarati leaders of Indian politics (Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah) in Delhi realise that the narrative of HindiHinduHindustan will eventually destroy their own language too.'

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'.

Anti-terror ops launched after attack on tourists in J-K's Pahalgam

Anti-terror ops launched after attack on tourists in J-K's Pahalgam

Rediff.com22 Apr 2025

To support tourists affected by the attack or in need of information, Jammu and Kashmir police set up a dedicated help desk at the Police Control Room.

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.

'Rather check into a mental hospital': Kunal Kamra gets 'Bigg Boss' offer

'Rather check into a mental hospital': Kunal Kamra gets 'Bigg Boss' offer

Rediff.com9 Apr 2025

Comedian Kunal Kamra has revealed that he was approached to be a contestant on the reality show "Bigg Boss", but he declined the offer. Kamra, known for his anti-establishment views, is currently facing multiple FIRs for his comments and has been embroiled in controversy over his recent stand-up show "Naya Bharat". He shared a screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation with someone claiming to be handling casting for the show, where he stated that he would "much rather check into a mental hospital" than participate. It remains unclear whether the offer was for the 19th season of "Bigg Boss" or the fourth season of its OTT version.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.'

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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'

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.