‘Privacy more important than your money’: Supreme Court issues notice to WhatsApp

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to Centre and WhatsApp over the new privacy policy of the messaging app. The court has sought responses from the Government and the messaging app within four weeks on a fresh plea alleging lower standards of privacy for Indians in comparison to European users of the messaging app.

Acting on the petition seeking to restrain WhatsApp from implementing its new privacy policy in India, the top court observed that people have grave concerns about privacy and that the citizens’ privacy is more important than money.

The top court said that people have grave apprehensions that they will lose their privacy, and it is our duty to protect them.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde issued notice to the government and the Facebook-owned app on an interim application filed by Karmanya Singh Sareen in a pending petition of 2017.

The apex court said people value their privacy more than the value of the company which might be in trillions.

Refuting allegations of sharing of data of their users, WhatsApp told the Supreme Court that same privacy policy is applicable to all countries except European nations which have special data protection law.

It said Europe has a special law on privacy and it will also follow if India has a similar statute.

In its reply, the apex court said, “People value their privacy more than the value of company which might be in trillions” and added, “People have grave apprehension that they will lose their privacy, and it is our duty to protect them”.

– With PTI inputs