Indian Supreme Court Warns Meta, WhatsApp Over Misuse of Citizen Data, Citing Privacy Concerns

The Indian Supreme Court has issued a stern warning to 'Meta Platforms' and 'WhatsApp,' making it clear that they will not be allowed to misuse the personal data of Indian citizens.

During the hearing on Tuesday, the court made sharp remarks regarding the privacy policies of these technology companies.

The bench, led by Indian Chief Justice S.A. Bobde on Tuesday, warned WhatsApp and its parent company Meta against tampering with consumer privacy.

During the hearing, India's Chief Justice Bobde strongly criticized the company's policy. When senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Kapil Sibal, representing the company, claimed that users were given an 'option,' the Chief Justice responded with a warning.

Indian Chief Justice Bobde stated, 'You have a complete monopoly in the market and you are saying that we have given an option? What kind of option is this? Saying either accept our policy or leave WhatsApp is coercion. You cannot play with the right to privacy in this country.'

Chief Justice Bobde noted that the language of WhatsApp's 'opt-out' option is extremely complex. He said, 'How can you tamper with consumer privacy? Your policy is written in such a clever way that a common person cannot understand it. How can a person living in a rural area of Tamil Nadu understand such complex terms?'

The court used strong language, describing WhatsApp's data-sharing policy as a 'polite way of stealing private information.' The Indian Chief Justice stated, 'We will not allow you to share even a single word of data. Either you must give a written commitment, or we will issue an order.'

The Supreme Court has also ordered the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to be made a party in this case. This will lead to a discussion on the government's role in data security and the effectiveness of the law.

This dispute is related to the petition filed by WhatsApp and Meta against the fine of INR 213.14 crore imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

The CCI had concluded that Meta misused its market dominance to use user data for advertising.

The Supreme Court has given Meta and WhatsApp time to submit a detailed response. The next hearing for this case has been scheduled for next Monday (February 9).