INDIA: HIGH COURT ISSUES "STRONG JUDGEMENT" IN WHATSAPP CASE

Published On: 01/09/2016

Authors:

Lomesh Kiran Nidumuri
Avik Biswas
The High Court of Delhi (‘the High Court’) pronounced, on 23 September 2016, its decision in a public interest litigation case, Karmanya Singh Sareen and Anr v. Union of India and Ors (‘the Decision’), in relation to WhatsApp Inc.’s new privacy policy that allows for the sharing of users’ data with Facebook, Inc., for advertising and marketing purposes. The High Court ordered WhatsApp to delete users’ data completely from its servers and refrain from sharing users’ data with Facebook, provided that the users requested the deletion of their WhatsApp account before 25 September 2016, the date on which the users were asked to agree to the new terms, and also prohibited WhatsApp from sharing existing users’ data dated before 25 September 2016.