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Court’s harsh comment

The Supreme Court of India has warned metaplatforms and WhatsApp that it will not allow sharing of user data for advertisements. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said that if Meta fails to file the affidavit, the case will be dismissed. The Court says, “We will not be allowed to share even a single word of data. This should be absolutely clear.”

Question on the language of the policy

The Supreme Court also expressed concern over the language of WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy. The court said that ordinary people, such as women selling fruits on the street, cannot easily understand these terms. The court described the policy as “cleverly designed” and complex for the general public.

long dispute and fine

The controversy started with the 2021 privacy policy, which forced users to share more data with Meta companies. In November 2024, the Competition Commission (CCI) had imposed a fine of ₹213.14 crore on Meta and WhatsApp, which was also upheld by the NCLAT. However, the five-year ban on data sharing has been lifted. Now the matter is in the Supreme Court, where it will be decided how much WhatsApp can share user data.

further hearing

The Supreme Court has given one week’s time to Meta. In the next hearing, the court will decide whether WhatsApp’s privacy policy is against the interests of Indian consumers or not.