User Consent Compulsory For WhatsApp Data Sharing For Advertising And Non … – LawBeat

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal on Monday clarified that the consent and transparency safeguards laid down in its earlier ruling on WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy apply to all forms of user data collection and sharing, including both advertising and non advertising purposes. The clarification came on an application filed by the Competition Commission of India, which had sought clarity on the scope of the remedial directions upheld by the tribunal in its November 4 judgment. The appellate tribunal made it clear that WhatsApp and its parent company Meta cannot claim unilateral or open ended rights over user data under the guise of policy interpretation. Allowing the application, the tribunal said, “On the basis of the above analysis, we allow the application of the Commission. It is clarified that the remedial directions contained in paragraphs 247.2.1 to 247.2.4 of the impugned order dated November 18, 2024, shall apply to WhatsApp user data collection and sharing for all non-WhatsApp purposes, including both non-advertising and advertising purposes.” A bench led by Chairperson Justice Ashok Bhushan and Technical Member Arun Baroka underscored that user choice is the central principle governing data sharing. The tribunal reiterated that control over personal data rests with users
Read More