Commitment to User Control: In a significant victory for digital privacy in India, WhatsApp has informed the Supreme Court that it will comply with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) directives regarding data sharing. The messaging giant has promised to provide users with full control over whether their data is shared with other Meta-owned companies, such as Facebook and Instagram. This move ensures that Indian users will have a clear “Opt-in” or “Opt-out” choice, moving away from the previous mandatory data-sharing requirements.
Legal Recourse Withdrawn: During the hearing on Monday, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing WhatsApp and Meta, stated that they are withdrawing their interim petitions seeking a stay on the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) orders. The company assured the bench, led by Justice Surya Kant, that the new regulations and user controls would be implemented by March 16, 2026. Consequently, the Supreme Court dismissed the interim pleas as withdrawn, paving the way for the immediate enforcement of the CCI’s pro-consumer guidelines.
Background and Ongoing Appeal: The dispute stems from WhatsApp’s controversial 2021 Privacy Policy, which the CCI deemed an abuse of market dominance for imposing unfair conditions on users. The Supreme Court had previously expressed dissatisfaction with the “take it or leave it” nature of the policy, emphasizing the protection of Indian users’ privacy rights. While this interim settlement resolves the immediate dispute over data sharing controls, the main appeal challenging the overall validity of the 2021 Privacy Policy remains pending before the Supreme Court.
