The Delhi High Court on Monday reiterated that accpeting the new privacy policy of social messaging app WhatsApp was a “voluntary” thing, and one could choose not to use the platform if he does not agree with the terms and conditions.
“It is not mandatory to download WhatsApp on your mobile, it is voluntary,” the court told petitioners who sought direction for an injunction against the new privay policy of the Facebook-owned messaging platform.
The Centre told the bench that WhatsApp was “treating Indian users differently from Europeans” regarding the new privacy policy and this was a “matter of concern”.
“It is also matter of concern that Indian users are being unilaterally subjected to change in policy by WhatsApp,” the Centre said.
Last week, the government wrote to WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart and asked the company to withdraw the recent changes in the privacy policy of the messaging app, saying unilateral changes are not fair and acceptable.
In a strongly worded letter to WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said India is home to the largest user base of WhatsApp globally and is one the biggest markets for its services.
The proposed changes to the WhatsApp Terms of Service and Privacy Policy “raise grave concerns regarding the implications for the choice and autonomy of Indian citizens,” it wrote.
The ministry asked WhatsApp to withdraw the proposed changes and reconsider its approach to information privacy, freedom of choice and data security.
This comes amid users concerned about the privacy of their data amid apprehensions that WhatsApp was sharing the data with its parent company Facebook.
Facing massive criticism from users globally, including India, WhatsApp has already decided to delay the rollout of its new policy update to May 15. In a blog post, WhatsApp said it is moving back the date on which people will be asked to review and accept the terms.
“No one will have their account suspended or deleted on February 8. We’re also going to do a lot more to clear up the misinformation around how privacy and security works on WhatsApp. We’ll then go to people gradually to review the policy at their own pace before new business options are available on May 15,” it said in the blog post.
