HC seeks Centre’s stand on PIL against WhatsApp privacy policy

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court Wednesday sought the Centre’s response on a plea challenging the new privacy policy of instant messaging platform WhatsApp. A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice to the Ministry of Electronics and IT and WhatsApp seeking their stand on the plea by March. The petitioners, Seema Singh, Meghan Singh and Vikram Singh, have contended the new privacy policy indicates the "fissures" in Indian data protection and privacy laws.

They have sought directions to the ministry and WhatsApp to ensure people using the app are given the option to opt out of sharing personal data with Facebook and its other firms. They have also sought a direction to the ministry to frame guidelines, regulation or rules for safeguarding the privacy of the citizens from all the apps and organisations operating in India which collect user data.