Shashi Tharoor 

New Delhi: The representatives of Facebook and Twitter will appear before the Parliamentary standing committee on Information Technology on Thursday over alleged misuse of social media platforms.

According to Lok Sabha Secretariat notice, the panel will hear the views of the representatives of Facebook and Twitter on the subject “safeguarding citizens’ rights and prevention of misuse of social/online news media platforms including special emphasis on women security in the digital space.”

The 31-member committee headed by Shashi Tharoor, Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram will meet at 4 pm.

WhatsApp policy change likely to be discussed

The panel is also likely to discuss the new privacy policy of social messaging app WhatsApp, news agency ANI reported citing sources. “Parliamentary standing committee on IT has summoned Facebook and Twitter officials on January 21, change in WhatsApp privacy policy also to be discussed,” they said.

Under the new policy, users can either accept it or exit the app, but they cannot opt not to share their data with other Facebook-owned or third-party apps.

The messaging app recently announced that it has postponed its planned privacy update, which will give users more time to review the policy and accept the terms of its proposed data sharing with Facebook.

“We’re now moving back the date on which people will be asked to review and accept the terms,” WhatsApp said in a blog post.

The decision to postpone the privacy update has been taken due to “misinformation causing concern” among people, the Facebook-owned app said.

“With these updates, none of that is changing. Instead, the update includes new options people will have to message a business on WhatsApp, and provides further transparency about how we collect and use data. While not everyone shops with a business on WhatsApp today, we think that more people will choose to do so in the future and its important people are aware of these services. This update does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook,”

WhatsApp said amid huge outrage over its new privacy policy and terms.

 

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