This new feature of WhatsApp might land you in jail in India

New Delhi: The latest upgrade by the multimedia messaging application ‘WhatsApp’ may land you in jail as 256 bit encryption is totally illegal in India.

Given the fact that WhatsApp is gaining popularity every passing day in the country, the government not go after the latest encryption. However, going by the present law on encryption the messaging application is illegal.

According to rules issued by DoT in 2007, Licence Agreement for Provision of Internet Service (including Internet Telephony) mandates that private parties in India cannot use encryption that is higher than 40-bits without explicit permission from the government.

What is 256 bit encryption?

The 256-bit encryption is a data/file protection technique that uses a 256-bit key to encrypt and decrypt data or files.

The 256-bit encryption technique is one of the most secure encryption methods after 128- and 192-bit encryption. It is used in most modern encryption algorithms, protocols and technologies including AES and SSL.

Hard to hack:

A hacker will require 2 to the power of 256 different combinations to break a 256-bit encrypted message, which makes it virtually impossible to be broken by even the fastest computers.

Typically, 256-bit encryption is used for data in transit, or data travelling over a network or Internet connection.

This method is also implemented for sensitive and important data such as financial, military or government-owned data. The U.S. government requires that all sensitive and important data be encrypted using 192 or 256-bit encryption methods.