WhatsApp privacy policy forces users into agreement, says Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court has held that WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy places its users in a “take it or leave it” situation, virtually forcing them into an agreement by providing a “mirage” of choices and then sharing their sensitive data with its parent company, Facebook. The high court’s verdict came while dismissing the appeals of WhatsApp and Facebook against an order rejecting their challenge to a probe ordered by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) into the instant messaging platform’s updated privacy policy as of 2021.
A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad said the single judge’s April 22, 2021, order was well-reasoned and the appeals were devoid of merit and substance that would warrant the interference of this court.
While the judgement was pronounced by the division bench on Thursday, it was uploaded on the court’s website.