The Andhra Pradesh state government has recently launched WhatsApp-based citizen services.
It has signed an agreement with Meta to provide 161 services with a single click via WhatsApp in the first phase. The government has announced plans to expand these services to 500 in the near future.
However, the opposition YSR Congress party has accused the coalition government of planning a data theft operation under the guise of WhatsApp services.
Responding to these allegations in Delhi, Telugu Desam Party general secretary and state IT Minister Nara Lokesh stated that if anyone could prove data theft, he would personally offer Rs 10 crore as a reward—not from government funds, but from his own money.
He challenged YSRCP leaders to substantiate their claims of data theft through WhatsApp services.
The other day, Sakshi carried a banner story alleging that the so-called WhatsApp governance introduced by the Chandrababu Naidu government was allegedly meant for data theft.
It said there is a danger for data security as the data of the citizens will be accessible by the WhatsAppp. It also alleged that the government will use this data to remove welfare schemes and votes from the opponents.
The Sakshi report said the government would ask for Aadhar number from the users seeking help on WhatsApp and with that all the family details would go into the hands of the private party. It would also lead to deletion of voters who are sympathisers of opposition parties.
“Even before 2019 elections, the then TDP government used the same techniques to copy the citizen’s data in the name of “Seva Mitra.” Now, this “Mana Mitra” is also meant for data theft of citizens,” it alleged.
Interestingly, Lokesh also held discussions with Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw regarding WhatsApp governance. During the meeting, he suggested making citizen services available on all platforms.
Following Vaishnaw’s recommendation, Lokesh revealed that the AP government is set to sign another agreement to store all certificates in DigiLocker soon.
He pointed out that many governments across the country are showing interest in providing citizen services through WhatsApp.
He asserted that, unlike the YSRCP, his party does not require citizens' personal data, stating that they only need voter lists, which are already public documents.
