Govt Can Soon Access Your WhatsApp, Emails, & Social Media Under New Income Tax Bill 2025

The Government of India has proposed sweeping new powers for income tax officials under the Income Tax Bill 2025. Section 247 of the bill allows tax officers to access your WhatsApp chats, emails, social media accounts, online banking apps, cryptocurrency wallets, and even cloud storage if they suspect tax evasion.

The move, the government says, is aimed at tackling black money and financial fraud in the digital age. But critics warn it could open the door to mass surveillance and misuse, raising serious concerns about privacy and individual freedom in India.

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With more and more financial activities moving online, from digital banking, stock trading, crypto, and UPI payments to cloud-based accounting systems, the government argues that traditional methods of tax enforcement are no longer enough.

Section 247 empowers tax officials to enter what the law calls a “virtual digital space”. This includes:

• Emails

• WhatsApp, Telegram, and other messaging apps

• Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and other social media

• Banking and trading apps

• Cryptocurrency exchanges and digital wallets

• Cloud storage and remote servers

Officials can demand access to these platforms, including passwords, access codes, or encryption keys, if they suspect someone of hiding income or assets.

This law means that if tax authorities believe you may have undeclared assets or unreported income, they no longer need to wait for court permission. They can directly demand access to your digital accounts, personal or professional.

For businesses, this could mean handing over internal emails, accounting data, and customer transaction records. For individuals, it could extend to personal chats, social media DMs, or private digital documents.

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The law also requires taxpayers to cooperate technically—meaning you must provide any codes, devices, or tools needed to help tax officials access your accounts. Refusing to do so may be treated as an offence.

If passed in Parliament and approved by the President, the Income Tax Bill, 2025, will come into effect from April 1, 2026.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has defended the bill, noting that WhatsApp messages and Google Maps data have already helped trace financial fraud in past cases. Despite these claims, critics say the new law hands unrestricted surveillance powers to the Income Tax Department.