Only authorised law enforcement agencies can decrypt WhatsApp conversations: Govt 

The government in a statement on Tuesday informed the parliament that only 'authorised law enforcement agencies' are empowered to intercept, monitor or decrypt any information in any computer resource including WhatsApp conversations as per legal provisions of Section 69 of the Information Technology Act, 2000. 

Ajay Kumar Mishra, the Minister of State (MoS), the Ministry of Home Affairs was responding to an unstarred question raised in the Lok Sabha which asked whether national or international agencies are authorised to monitor and decrypt any digital information including WhatsApp conversations. 

The minister's reply stated, "Only authorised law enforcement agencies in the country, are empowered to intercept, monitor or decrypt or cause to be intercepted or monitored or decrypted, any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource as per legal provisions of section 69 of the Information Technology Act, 2000."

The minister further added that “the safeguards and review mechanism have also been prescribed in the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules, 2009, and the Standard Operating Procedure issued for the purpose." 

This was possibly the first time the Home Ministry was answering a direct question related to decrypting WhatsApp conversations.