‘Rebels can talk like secret lovers on Arattai, but can’t be safe from courts,’ says Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu on E2E encryption rollout

In the statement, Vembu revealed that the development schedule for the E2EE system has been accelerated and is currently in the testing phase.

arattai zoho
For Arattai, Vembu confirmed that the cloud storage function will be purposefully disabled for chats to ensure privacy is paramount.

The Arattai texting app from Zoho Corporation is all the rage these days in the Indian digital space. Built from the ground up as India’s answer to WhatsApp, Arattai promises to offer a similar user experience with a greater focus on data privacy and security. The only crucial feature lacking in the app is the concept of End-to-End encryption for text messages. Zoho’s CEO, Sridhar Vembu, and his team have promised to bring E2E encryption to the app. 

In a dedicated post on X, Vembu confirmed that the team is working to bring end-to-end encryption to text messages on Arattai. He clarifies that the feature was originally planned for release in November 2025, but citing the heightened demand, the team is working to prepone the release of the E2E encryption.

E2E encryption for messages easier on Zoho servers

In the statement, Vembu revealed that the development schedule for the E2EE system has been accelerated and is currently in the testing phase. “End-to-end encryption keeps that data on the device only (no cloud storage, unless a backup is specified). So it is actually easier on our servers and lowers our cost to serve users.”

As a crucial distinction from traditional business communication platforms like Zoho’s enterprise chat app Cliq, it relies on cloud storage to enable features like search and archiving. For Arattai, Vembu confirmed that the cloud storage function will be purposefully disabled for chats to ensure privacy is paramount.

Can courts, law gain access to encrypted chats?

In a separate post on X, however, Vembu discussed at length the concept of encrypting and legal obligations to a country’s government. 

“On the topic of privacy, there are three distinct cases,” he wrote, kicking off a thread that tries to blend humour, transparency, and firm boundaries. The first was the “secret lover case”, a metaphor for personal intimacies or corporate trade secrets, which highlights Zoho’s tech stack designed to prevent unauthorised access. “We work hard to ensure your privacy in case 1,” Vembu assured, highlighting end-to-end encryption (E2EE) features now under testing, powered by the audited Signal protocol. 

The second scenario targets the “violation” users feel when companies mine personal data for targeted ads—a practice Zoho has vowed to avoid entirely. 

The third “secret rebel case” drew the sharpest reactions, since it dealt with communications potentially challenging government authority. Vembu stated that companies like Zoho must comply with national laws, just as Google or Apple do in India or the US. “Sovereign power always prevails over mere companies,” he stated, adding that expecting otherwise is a “false promise.” 

“So while secret rebels can communicate like secret lovers do, secret rebels cannot expect courts to affirm their right to plot against their government,” he added. This is what has created confusion among the user base, who wonder whether Zoho’s encryption methods don’t protect chat privacy from the law enforcement agencies, eventually defying the point of encryption.

Vembu, however, continued to clarify the E2E encryption is in the works in the following chats and urged users to have trust on Zoho’s policies. 

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This article was first uploaded on October eight, twenty twenty-five, at twenty minutes past seven in the evening.
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