WhatsApp Privacy Policy Case: Delhi HC Rejects Facebook Owned WhatsApp's Plea Challenging Investigation Order By CCI

WhatsApp Privacy Policy Case: Delhi High Court dismisses Facebook and WhatsApp's pleas challenging a Competition Commission of India (CCI) order for an investigation into the messaging app's new privacy policy.

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In a major decision, the Delhi High Court on Thursday rejected an appeal from Facebook-owned instant messenger WhatsApp's challenge to a Competition Commission of India (CCI) order directing for a probe against its new privacy policy. 

WhatsApp in its petition had contended that there is no need for CCI need to have ordered a probe for its new privacy policy since the matter was already before the Supreme Court. Facebook had also filed a similar petition challenging the competition watchdog's decision for launching a probe in its product WhatsApp.

Earlier, the Centre had informed the Delhi High Court that WhatsApp's new privacy policy violated the 2011 IT Rules.

Meanwhile, after much criticism, WhatsApp had put its privacy policy, after introducing it in January 2021, on hold till May.

Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) in its written response to the court had said WhatsApp privacy policy fails to specify which types of sensitive personal data of users was being collected. 

"Notify the details of personal information collected to the user, provide an option to review or amend the information and withdraw consent retrospectively and guarantee further non-disclosure by third parties including other Facebook companies," MeitY replied.