WhatsApp goes on back foot! Says, "Won't enforce new privacy policy till data protection bill comes out"

New Delhi, July 09: Taking fews steps backwards, Mark Zuckerberg led WhatsApp has informed the Delhi Court that the company has put its controversial privacy policy on hold, and they will not enforce policy till India’s Data Protection Bill comes out.

 

 

Appearing on behalf of the social messaging platform, senior advocate Harish Salve said, "We voluntarily agreed to put it (the policy) on hold...We will not compel people to accept."

 

 

The Salve also told the court that it would neither force users to accept its controversial new privacy policy nor limit the functionality of the messaging service for those who choose not to accept its terms. The company would, however, continue to display updates about the new privacy policy. "We will continue to remind users from time to time about the update...We will maintain this approach until at least the forthcoming PDP law comes into effect." Salve told the court. 

 

 

 

 

Salve further told the court that if the Indian parliament accepts the policy then they will implement it, however if they do not permit such a policy, then they have to take a call on it. "If Parliament allows me to have a separate policy for India, I will have it. If it does not allow me...I will then have to take a call," he said.

 

 

The new policy had to come into effect in early February, but the company delayed rollout, initially to mid-May, after concerns from the public and experts prompted the government to step in. The company also faced backlash from users in other countries. The court is hearing the appeals of Facebook and its firm WhatsApp against the single-judge order refusing to stop the competition regulator CCI's order directing a probe into WhatsApp's new privacy policy.

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