Indian WhatsApp users can choose whether to join group chat

Popular messaging platform WhatsApp said it rolled out a new privacy setting which will allow a user in India to choose whether or not to join a group conversation.

The new features give users control over which groups they want to join and users will now have to give their consent whether they are interested in joining a group on WhatsApp to which they have been invited, the platform, which has an estimated 200 million users in India, our New Delhi correspondent reports according to a statement issued on Wednesday.

The new WhatsApp group invite system means that users can choose to be added to only groups for which an invite has been sent by their contact, unlike in the past.

"As people turn to groups for important conversations, users have asked for more control over their experience. We are introducing a new privacy setting and invite system to help you decide who can add you to groups," the Facebook-owned chat platform said.

The new feature assumes importance in the run up to Indian parliamentary elections which start in a week. The multi-phase polling ends on May 19 and vote-count is scheduled for May 23.

"We are starting in India with beta users and will expand from there. We encourage users to update their app to the latest version," the statement said.

The Indian Information Technology Ministry has been prodding WhatsApp on the need for obtaining consent of users to join a group or groups.

The Indian government has insisted on WhatsApp allowing law enforcers to check the origin of messages that spark riots or mob lynching incidents but the messaging platform has so far resisted it saying it would amount to privacy violation of users.

The latest feature allowing users to choose if they want to join a group conversation or not seeks to balance the concerns over privacy with internal security, IT experts said.