Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu defends Arattai’s end-to-end encryption rollout, says ‘rebels can talk like secret lovers but not hide from courts’
In a post on X, Vembu announced that the team had originally scheduled E2EE for November 2025.
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Zoho Corporation’s homegrown messaging platform Arattai is preparing to roll out end-to-end encryption (E2EE), marking a major step in its bid to rival WhatsApp and Telegram in India’s data privacy-focused market. The app, designed to prioritise user security, has so far lacked the crucial encryption feature for text messages — something CEO Sridhar Vembu confirmed is now being fast-tracked.
In a post on X, Vembu announced that the team had originally scheduled E2EE for November 2025, but due to growing public demand, the release has been accelerated. “End-to-end encryption keeps that data on the device only (no cloud storage, unless a backup is specified),” he said, adding that this system also reduces server load and operational costs.
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. In case of back up, the encrypted device data is backed up but no server level features are…
— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) October 8, 2025
Unlike Zoho’s enterprise chat platform Cliq, which relies on cloud storage for search and archiving, Arattai’s encrypted chats will disable cloud storage altogether to maintain user privacy. The encryption feature is currently in the testing phase and will use the audited Signal protocol, one of the most trusted standards for secure communication.
However, Vembu’s remarks on privacy and law enforcement sparked debate online. In a follow-up thread on X, he explained the nuances of digital privacy with three analogies — the “secret lover case”, the “ad violation case”, and the “secret rebel case”.
The first, he said, referred to private or intimate exchanges — personal or corporate — where Zoho’s systems are built to prevent unauthorised access. The second focused on companies that exploit personal data for advertising, a practice Zoho has committed to avoiding entirely.
It was the third — the “secret rebel case” — that stirred the most reaction. Addressing concerns about government access to private messages, Vembu clarified that while Arattai’s encryption protects personal privacy, no company can override the legal authority of a sovereign nation.
“Sovereign power always prevails over mere companies,” he wrote. “So while secret rebels can communicate like secret lovers do, secret rebels cannot expect courts to affirm their right to plot against their government.”
On the topic of privacy, there are three distinct cases I want to address:
— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) October 8, 2025
1. The secret lover case
2. The violation we feel when a company uses our personal data to show ads to us
3. The secret rebel case
The secret lover case also applies to org trade secrets and…
The statement prompted questions among users about whether Arattai’s encryption would shield conversations from law enforcement scrutiny. Vembu reiterated that end-to-end encryption is still being implemented and assured users that Zoho’s commitment to privacy remains strong — within the bounds of national law.
