WhatsApp private policy | Appeal to Centre’s court, Center urges Delhi HC to issue direction to WhatsApp to desist from push notifications

New Delhi : The controversy over WhatsApp’s new private policy does not seem to end. The central government and WhatsApp have been face to face for some time regarding this new private policy. Now the central government has reached the Delhi High Court. In its fresh affidavit filed in the High Court, the central government on Thursday said that WhatsApp is “mannering” to get the consent of users on its updated private policy. The Center has accused WhatsApp of adopting an ‘anti-users method’. WhatsApp introduced its new private policy in January last, after which its dispute with the Center is going on.

WhatsApp is ‘cunning’ to get users’ consent
In its affidavit filed in the High Court, the central government claimed that the Facebook-owned messaging app is using “anti-user methods” to get users’ consent on its new private policy. The government has alleged that WhatsApp is using its digital expertise to get users to accept the new policy.

The government says that against the order of the Competition Commission of India on 24 March 2021 on this new private policy, the company is sending notifications to the users and asking them to accept their private policy.

Court ban on sending notification
The Center has requested the Delhi High Court to direct WhatsApp not to send ‘push notifications’ to users on its updated private policy of 2021. The government says that WhatsApp is sending notifications to an increased number of users every day.

What is WhatsApp’s new private policy
What is updated by WhatsApp on its private policy. Now according to him, the company will use the ‘business interaction’ on its platform with social networking companies for advertising. The company says that ‘when you conduct any business conversation via phone, e-mail or WhatsApp, it will have access to it and it may use this conversation for its advertising purposes’. WhatsApp argues that conversations with friends and family are separate from business.

WhatsApp has said that it will not delete the account
The government and people have objections to this new private policy of WhatsApp. A few days ago, WhatsApp said that it will not delete the account of users who do not accept this new policy. WhatsApp is sending out notifications to users to remind them to accept this new private policy. The company says that if users want to use all the features of WhatsApp, then they will have to accept the new private policy.