The Supreme Court today asked the government whether its move to create a Social Media Hub was to tap people's WhatsApp messages, observing that it will be like creating a "surveillance state".
The top court agreed to hear a PIL filed by a Trinamool Congress legislator from West Bengal, raising the question whether the government wants to tap the citizens' messages on WhasApp or other social media platforms.
A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud sought the Centre's response on the plea by TMC MLA Mahua Moitra and sought Attorney General K K Venugopal's assistance in the matter.
"Does the government want to tap its citizens' WhatsApp messages? It will be like creating a surveillance state," the bench said.
Justice Chandrachud said if the government was seeking to monitor "every single tweet and WhatsApp messages, then we will be moving towards becoming a surveillance state."
Raising concerns, she said the proposed SMCH seeks to create a technology architecture that merges mass surveillance with a capacity for disinformation. "It aims to create a technology platform to collect digital media chatter from all core Social Media Platforms as well as digital platforms. Such mass collection of data is collected right up to a granular, individual level."
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