Department of Electronics and Information Technology has clarified that social media websites and applications will be exempted from the purview of the National Encryption Policy.<br/> <br/>A proposed addendum to the policy said, the mass-use encryption products, which are currently being used in web applications, social media sites and social media applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter are being exempted from the purview of the draft National Encryption Policy. <br/><br/>Encryption products used in Internet banking and payment gateways, and those used for e-commerce and password based transactions will also be exempted. <br/><br/>The clarification came after public outrage grew on the new draft proposal which mandated storing messages that people send through WhatsApp, SMS, Email or any such service.