I. WhatsApp's new privacy policy cleared by the Delhi High
Court, but certain directions issued to protect user data
An interesting case of Karmanya Singh Sareen and
Anr. vs. Union of India and Ors., in which certain
public interest litigants had moved the Hon'ble Delhi High
Court amid concerns over the new privacy policy of a popular
messaging application, came to be decided on September 23,
2016.
Certain alarmed users of the popular messaging application
WhatsApp (provided by WhatsApp, Inc.) (the
"App"), took the public interest litigation
(PIL, as it is commonly referred to) route to raise concerns over
the new privacy policy of the App, compromising the privacy of its
users. Prime concern was sharing of user data with Facebook, Inc.,
the company that had acquired the App in 2014. Interestingly, one
of the reliefs sought was a prayer to bring internet based
messaging services like the App under appropriate regulatory
regime.
