The Supreme Court on Friday refused to consider a petition, requesting WhatsApp to direct it to withdraw its new privacy policy. The petition said that this privacy policy allegedly violates the law and may affect the security of the country.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde said that the Delhi High Court has heard the matter and the petitioner can seek appropriate resolution. The bench also had justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian. The petition filed by the Confederation of All India Traders requested the Center to intervene and give directions on setting guidelines for big technology based companies like WhatsApp, Facebook.
The petition, filed through advocate Vivek Narayan Sharma, stated that the filing of a public interest litigation became necessary due to the alleged failure by the Center to perform constitutional duties and protect the privacy and freedom of expression of the citizens of India. The petition claimed that defendant number one – the central government allowed defendant numbers two to four to operate WhatsApp in India, but failed to play the role of guardian to protect the fundamental rights of citizens.
It further states that WhatsApp, which provides dialogue service to the citizens, recently imposed unconstitutional terms which is not only a violation of law but it can also affect the security of the country. The petition stated that on 4 January 2021 WhatsApp introduced its new privacy policy and it was made necessary for users to give consent to share data with Facebook and group companies. The petitioner had alleged that the privacy policy of WhatsApp would adversely affect the fundamental rights of citizens.