WhatsApp’s privacy policy on hold till Data Protection Bill comes into force

NEW DELHI: Amidst the standoff with the Centre over its privacy policy, WhatsApp on Friday told the Delhi High Court that it has decided to temporarily put its privacy policy on hold, till the Data Protection Bill comes into force. WhatsApp’s new privacy policy allows the instant messaging app to use some of the business conversations hosted with Facebook for advertising.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh was hearing the appeals of Facebook and WhatsApp against the single-judge order refusing to stop the regulator Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) order directing a probe into WhatsApp’s new policy. On behalf of WhatsApp, advocate Harish Salve said: “Government has asked to shut down the policy.