Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul><li>Supreme Court has issued a three week deadline for the Indian government to submit an affidavit outlining its efforts to curb <keyword id="1892122" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Misuse-of-Social-Media">misuse of social media</keyword>. </li><li>The Court has also asked the government for a timeline on when social media guidelines will be ready for implementation. </li><li>The bench stated that the Supreme Court and the High Court aren’t the correct forums for such discourse. </li><li>The guidelines should include measures on how to trace messages back to their original senders. </li></ul>Online crime is a growing menace and the Indian Supreme Court has given the government three weeks to disclose steps taken towards the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-indian-government-is-looking-at-policing-online-content-on-social-media-including-breaking-end-to-end-encryption-report/articleshow/67230131.cms">thwarting misuse of social media</a> so far. The Supreme Court bench, led by Justice Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose, has also asked the government to lay out the timeframe for when these guidelines will be ready to implement. The Supreme Court and the High Court aren’t the right forums to deal with issues of social media, according to Gupta, which is why the government needs to step in and have a policy in place. The guidelines should outline how information can be traced back to its original sender in order to prevent illegal activities, according to <a href="https://barandbench.com/social-media-case-sc-centre-when-guidelines-will-be-issued/">Bar &amp; Bench</a> report. At the same time, the bench also pointed out that there needs to be a balance between an individual’s right to privacy and the sovereignty of the state. The issue of encryption Platforms like WhatsApp — recently under the radar for facilitating the sharing of misinformation and fake news — have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-spyware-hack-questioned-by-indian-government/articleshow/69376429.cms">told the government</a> that tracking messages back to their original senders isn’t possible because of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indias-demands-to-whatsapp-are-easier-said-than-done/articleshow/65497255.cms">end-to-end encryption</a>. This means that no one but the sender of the message and the receipt know the content. Even, WhatsApp can’t see the messages, according to the company. Senior Counsel Kapil Sibal representing Facebook and WhatsApp, pointed out that while this may be an obstacle, it’s only restricted to a select few social networking platforms. Attorney General KK Venugopal argued that even if end-to-end encryption is in place, there are workarounds. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-messages-origin-can-be-traced-says-iit-madras-professor/articleshow/70603973.cms">A professor from IIT Madras</a> has already filed an affidavit with the Madras High Court on a possible solution to the problem. Even the government has been looking into <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-fingerprint-messages-to-avoid-encryption-issues-with-indian-government/articleshow/69836927.cms">digital fingerprinting</a> as a way to trace messages without breaking encryption. The Supreme Court will hold its next hearing on the matter on 22 October 2019. Before then, the Madras High Court is scheduled to hold its hearing on 1 October 2019. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-messages-origin-can-be-traced-says-iit-madras-professor/articleshow/70603973.cms">After Indian government, IIT professor points out how WhatsApp messages can be traced</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-faces-international-pressure-to-hand-over-access-to-encrypted-chats/articleshow/70467569.cms">WhatsApp faces international pressure to hand over access to encrypted chats</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/western-governments-enter-uncharted-territory-as-they-grapple-with-problem-of-harmful-content-on-social-media/articleshow/68881827.cms">Western governments enter uncharted territory as they grapple with problem of harmful content on social media</a>

India’s Supreme Court has put the government on a timer to curb misuse of social media

<ul><li>The <keyword id="6355014" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="delhi-high-court">Delhi High Court</keyword> has given the green light for the <keyword id="97393" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Competition-Commission-of-India">Competition Commission of India</keyword> (CCI) to conduct its investigation against WhatsApp and Facebook.</li><li>The CCI contends that excessive data collection and sharing between the two social media giants could be harmful to the competition environment.</li><li>Facebook’s argument that an investigation could not be conducted against it because WhatsApp is a subsidiary was also rejected.</li></ul>India’s competition watchdog, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), has gotten the green light from Delhi’s High Court to proceed with its investigation against WhatsApp and its parent company Facebook. The two Mark Zuckerberg-owned enterprises have been under the spotlight ever since WhatsApp launched its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-says-your-privacy-wont-be-affected-if-you-dont-use-these-features/articleshow/80225748.cms">new privacy policy</a> in January 2021. The two tech giants took CCI to court saying that a fresh investigation is not needed as there were already pending cases against the privacy policy in the <keyword id="6354977" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword>. According to the bench headed by Justice Navin Chawla that is not reason enough to quash the CCI’s investigation. Facebook’s argument that an investigation could not be conducted against it because <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/what-whatsapp-and-facebook-want-to-do-is-worse-than-stalking-indias-solicitor-general-tells-court/articleshow/82049581.cms">WhatsApp is a subsidiary</a> was also rejected. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="It’s not about privacy, it’s about excessive data sharing" comment="subhead" text="It’s not about privacy, it’s about excessive data sharing">It’s not about privacy, it’s about excessive data sharing</cmsannotation> According to the CCI, the only reason this is being pegged as a ‘privacy’ issue is because the nomenclature in place is ‘privacy policy’. The actual issue is around excessive data sharing creating a monopolistic market. The competition watchdog contends that WhatsApp is using its dominant position in the market to force users to share information with its parent company, Facebook. And, this ‘excessive’ data collection will get in the way of maintaining a healthy competitive environment. New players, who may want to enter the market, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapps-new-privacy-policy-doesnt-give-you-choice-and-could-limit-your-options-in-the-future-too/articleshow/82063830.cms">will not be able to operate that the same scale.</a> For now, the CCI is free to go ahead with its investigation. Meanwhile, WhatsApp and Facebook will have another battle to face in the Supreme Court. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/earth-day-the-impact-of-esg-investing-on-environment-is-not-clear/articleshow/82191991.cms">Earth Day: The impact of ESG investing on environment is not clear⁠— but its effect on money is real</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/revolut-appoints-former-flipkart-exec-paroma-chatterjee-as-its-india-ceo/articleshow/82181199.cms">Revolut starts India operations, appoints former Lendingkart, Flipkart executive Paroma Chatterjee as CEO</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/hero-motocorp-nestle-india-hdfc-and-other-top-stocks-to-watch-out-for-on-april-22/slidelist/82190984.cms">Hero MotoCorp, Nestle India, HDFC and other top stocks to watch out for on April 22</a>

WhatsApp and Facebook get snubbed by the Delhi High Court that allowed India’s competition regulator to probe Mark Zuckerberg’s companies

Social media platform WhatsApp's privacy policy matter has been referred to a Constitution bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud by the Supreme Court. 
 
The bench will hear the issue on April 18. 
 
As per the bench, the parties should appear before it and formulate issues to be taken up for the hearing. 
 
It was on January 16 that SC had asked for responses from Centre and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/small-business/tech/indias-telecom-regulator-wants-to-provide-wi-fi-hotspots-internet-at-2-paise-to-public-this-is-what-it-is-planning/articleshow/57509046.cms">telecom regulator TRAI </a>about infringement of the privacy of over 157 million Indians who use social networking sites <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/small-business/tech/Facebook-and-Whatsapp-are-the-most-exciting-brands-of-2015/articleshow/47261069.cms">WhatsApp and Facebook</a>. The security of their data was compromised for alleged commercial use. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Telecom-Minister-assures-that-your-private-messages-will-remain-so-No-snooping/articleshow/49061429.cms">Telecom Minister assures that your private messages will remain so. No snooping!</a> 
 
Earlier, the Delhi High Court had restrained WhatsApp from sharing its user information existing upto September 25, 2016 with Facebook, as soon as the new privacy policy had come into effect. 
 
The high court had also directed the Centre and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/small-business/tech/trai-is-conducting-tests-to-check-call-drops-voice-quality-on-airtel-vodafone-idea-jio-networks/articleshow/57185722.cms">TRAI </a>to examine whether bringing the functioning of internet messaging apps like WhatsApp under statutory regulatory framework would be feasible or not. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/telecom-tribunal-refuses-stay-on-reliance-jio-asks-trai-to-re-examine-issues/articleshow/57671420.cms">Telecom tribunal refuses stay on Reliance Jio; asks TRAI to re-examine issues</a> 
 
(Image source Digital Trends)

A constitution bench would hear WhatsApp’s privacy policy matter this month

<ul><li>India’s IT Ministry will have its <keyword id="85206" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Parliamentary-committee">Parliamentary Committee</keyword> will be taking up the <keyword id="4298942" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Whatsapp-hack">WhatsApp hack</keyword> on November 20. </li><li>Meanwhile RSS activist, <keyword id="149676" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="KN-Govindacharya">KN Govindacharya</keyword>, is trying to get the <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword>’s attention. </li><li>Lawyers feel the petition will only result in the government citing national security and sealed cover. </li></ul>The WhatsApp security breach has caught the attention of India’s IT ministry. A Standing Parliamentary Committee (SPC) will be looking into the incident on November 20. The chairman of the committee explained that there had been a number of requests for comments on the disclosure of ‘snooping on Indians’, according to the <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/house-panel-to-take-up-whatsapp-snooping-issue-on-november-20-6105248/">Indian Express</a>. Meanwhile, a right wing activist from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), KN Govindacharya, is trying to draw the attention of the Supreme Court to this matter. He <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/snoopgate-criminal-suit-in-sc-against-whatsapp-govt/articleshow/71913901.cms">filed a petition</a> asking FIRs to be registered against Facebook, Whatsapp and the NSO Group. But going to the Supreme Court might be redundant, according to lawyer Gautam Bhatai. “In recent times, the Supreme Court’s own record in matter where facts are still to established has been the strongest. There exist other institutions — including Parliamentary Committees — who have already stated that surveillance issues fall within their remit,” he tweeted. 
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="gautambhatia88" handlename="Gautam Bhatia" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/898610250181361664/2CoNa01q_normal.jpg" favoritecount="167" retweetcount="90" status="As we were informed when the scandal broke, the software is only sold to government or government affiliates. Going… https://t.co/vHjXSbHQMT" createdat="1572877774000" id="1191361850992201728"></div>




 In the name of national security Facebook <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/heres-why-facebook-is-suing-the-nso-group-over-the-whatsapp-hack/articleshow/71814518.cms">filed a lawsuit</a> against the Israeli security firm, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-hacker-pegasus-spyware-attacked-100-others/articleshow/71851228.cms">the NSO Group</a>, claiming that the privacy of 1,400 users was compromised by spyware — Pegasus. Overall, 121 Indian users were reportedly hacked — of which two dozen were <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-confirms-indian-activists-and-journalists-were-hacked-as-nso-claims-its-contractually-prohibited/articleshow/71831583.cms">activists, journalists and lawyers</a>. None of them have come forward to file their own FIRs yet. 
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="gautambhatia88" handlename="Gautam Bhatia" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/898610250181361664/2CoNa01q_normal.jpg" favoritecount="144" retweetcount="55" status="Among those targeted by the surveillance are human rights defenders, many of whom are lawyers. They have the locus… https://t.co/JXiL3XmBsB" createdat="1572877896000" id="1191362362009362432"></div>





 Some people believe that it’s not a strong case to begin with. “This is a case that is just asking for the government to come to court and shout “national security”+”sealed cover” as they have been known to do at the drop of a hat,” tweeted Bhatia. In January 2006, Amar Singh — a politician — filed a petition with the Supreme Court that his <a href="https://www.rediff.com/news/2006/jan/06flip.htm">phones were being tapped</a>. At the time, the Supreme Court barred the media from publishing any excerpts from these leaks. Five years later, the case was dismissed stating that Singh suppressed facts relevant to the case. In 2008, the government authorised the tax department to <a href="https://freespeechdebate.com/discuss/the-nira-radia-tapes-controversy-and-the-right-to-privacy/">tap Nira Radia</a>, a corporate lobbyist, for 120 days. In May 2009, that time frame was extended by another 120 days. Parts of these tapes were then leaked to the media — including excerpts that including details of the 2G scam. Rata Tata, then chairman of the Tata Group, along with NGO Center for Public Interest Litigation, <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Supreme-Court-to-examine-Ratan-Tatas-petition-on-Niira-Radia-tapes/article15579055.ece">filed a petition</a> to restrict the circulation of these tapes because it violated his right to privacy. That petition is still pending judgement. “It is a collusive litigation initiated by #govindacharya. Strategy being, file a weak case hovering round frivolous irrelevant averments so as to ensure its dismissal by court. The dismissal can then be quoted by the wrongdoers as 'vindication of their innocence',” tweeted former civil servant, NN Ojha.

Investigating the WhatsApp hack  — Parliament probe might trump the judiciary

<keyword id="6354576" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword> told the <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> people who find <keyword id="790242" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="WhatsApp">WhatsApp</keyword>’s privacy policy irksome can quite the platform. WhatsApp counsel <keyword id="30182" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kapil-Sibal">Kapil Sibal</keyword> said the messages and voice calls over the platform were end-to-end encrypted, ensuring complete privacy. Facebook counsel K K Venugopal bluntly told the top court, "Those who find the new privacy policy irksome or violative of their fundamental rights, can quit. We've given full freedom to users to withdraw from Facebook and WhatsApp." Sibal told the Apex Court the contract between a user and WhatsApp was completely in the private domain, the policy could not be tested constitutionally by the SC and the petition filed by students Karmanya Singh Sareen and Shreya Sethi was not maintainable. However, appearing for the petitioners’ side, Harish Salve said under the new policy, users were unwittingly made to give consent to both WhatsApp and Facebook and the latter could snoop on messages privately circulated between users of WhatsApp. "They claim that this is being done to improve services to be given in future to users. Whether the snooping is done electronically or manually, the right to privacy of users gets breached. The government is duty bound to protect the fundamental right of every citizen. If it is failing, then the SC can surely issue appropriate directions," Salve said. The bench fixed May 15 for preliminary hearing.

Those feeling aggrieved can quit WhatsApp: Facebook tells SC

<ul><li>India’s Supreme Court has given the government until January 15 to lay out the rules and regulations for social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. </li><li>The Supreme Court has also pulled in petitions related to social networks that were pending with various high courts. </li><li>It has promised to resolve the pending cases by the end of January. </li></ul>Hate speech and fake news are extremely common across social media in India. To deal with this menace, Indian Supreme Court has asked the government to come out with new rules and regulations by 15 January 2020. The bench, headed by Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose, also directed all pending cases pertaining to social media filed with various high courts to be transferred to the Supreme Court. There are four petitions in the fray. Two filed with the Madras High Court, one with the Madhya Pradesh High Court and another with the Bombay High Court. The primary issue at the helm was the linking of Aadhaar cards with social networks and WhatsApp-- which is pending with the Madras High Court. The petition filed by Facebook argues that disclosure of Aadhaar details will infringe user privacy. The bench also clarified that India’s Information Technology Act allows the government to ask for decryption of data. At the same time, it does not allow the government to force intermediaries to decrypt the data. It added that while national interest is important, it must be balanced against privacy.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp will be regulated in India — come January 15

<ul><li>The Supreme Court of India has issued a notice to the Reserve Bank of India (<keyword id="30067" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="RBI">RBI</keyword>) and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to show that data of Indian citizens collected by their payment platforms is not being misused. </li><li>According to the petition filed by Communist Party of India (CPI) Member of Parliament (MP) Binoy Viswan, the big four tech giants — WhatsApp, Google, Amazon and Facebook — don’t store the data of Indian users on servers in India despite RBI’s circular. </li><li>According to Viswan, they continue to store data overseas and share the data with their parent companies. </li></ul>The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) seeking directions to ensure that the data of Indian users collected by the United Payments Interface (UPI) platforms of Amazon, Google and Facebook-owned WhatsApp is not misused. The notice comes in response to a plea filed by a member of the Communist Party of India (CPI) Binoy Viswan back in September. It alleges that companies like Google, Amazon, and others are not complying with data protection guidelines set forth by the RBI and the NPCI. “We will issue notice. Here there is apprehension that the entire regime of payments will commence before the entire regulatory framework is put in place,” said the three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde. The allegations leveled against Google, Amazon and WhatsApp According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), all multinational companies conducting financial transactions within India are required to keep the data secured on servers within the country. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, arguing on Viswan’s behalf, argued that this has still not been implemented despite the order being issued over two years ago, in April 2018. It also questions the RBI and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on how these companies are allowed to operate despite these violations. "Millions of Indians use UPI platforms for making payments and with the RBI and NPCI allowing the Big Four Tech Giants to participate in this UPI ecosystem without much scrutiny, sensitive financial data of Indian citizens is being misused,” said the plea. Viswan’s petition is seeking restrictions on Google Play, <keyword id="4009819" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon-Pay">Amazon Pay</keyword> and <keyword id="4878801" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="whatsapp-pay">WhatsApp Pay</keyword> from sharing information with the parent company or with any third party so that it cannot be misused. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/chinese-president-xi-jinping-tells-marine-troops-to-be-on-high-alert-and-prepare-for-war/articleshow/78675715.cms">Chinese President Xi Jinping tells marine troops to be on ‘high alert’ and ‘prepare for war’ as tensions in the South China Sea continue to grow</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/infosys-share-price-hits-fresh-52-week-high-after-highest-ever-deal-wins-of-over-3-billion/articleshow/78673575.cms">Infosys share price hits fresh 52-week high after highest-ever deal wins of over $3 billion</a>

Whatsapp, Google, Amazon and Facebook under the scanner for data protection violations as Supreme Court calls on RBI and NPCI to investigate

<ul><li>The SC had asked social media platform-owners to list measures taken to block videos of sexual abuse.</li><li>A fine of ₹1 lakh was imposed on these companies after they failed to present an affidavit listing the same. </li><li>These companies, including <keyword id="736869" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Facebook-India">Facebook India</keyword>, <keyword id="45395" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google-India">Google India</keyword>, WhatsApp and <keyword id="6363100" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="yahoo">Yahoo</keyword>, have got till June 15 to comply. </li></ul>Tech giants <keyword id="6355629" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="google">Google</keyword> India and <keyword id="6354576" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="facebook">Facebook</keyword> India now face a <a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/social-media/offensive-content-apex-court-imposes-1-lakh-fine-each-on-google-fb-microsoft-others/article23953471.ece">fine</a> of ₹1 lakh ($14,720 approximately) for failing to comply with the <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword>’s orders to inform the court of measures taken to block videos that include sexual abuse on their social media platforms. Google and Facebook aren’t the only companies under fire. The justice bench that comprises of Madan B Lokur and UU Lalit issued notices to Yahoo, Facebook Ireland, Google Inc., <keyword id="10387" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword> and WhatsApp as well. Thus far, these companies have not filed any documents to highlight their efforts. As per the court’s new directive, the penalty amount will be kept with the Registry as a short-term fixed deposit while the companies will have until June 15 to file an affidavit that outlines the steps taken by them to curb videos of sexual offences. The Centre also informed the court that their Portal Integration with Crime and <keyword id="4041000" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="criminal-tracking-network-systems">Criminal Tracking Network &amp; Systems</keyword> would be ready for its official launch in another two months. The bench has issued a deadline of July 15, for the task to be completed along with the coordination required between the relevant ministries. The Supreme Court has, in the past, criticized search engines by Google and Microsoft over sex determination advertisements. They, in fact, <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pre-natal-gender-test-search-engines-results-blocked-supreme-court-3039418/">ordered</a> these companies to block 43 keywords relating to pre-natal gender tests. Google is already in a legal battle with the Competition Commission of India for having abused its dominant position in the market and violating <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/google-says-indias-anti-trust-ruling-could-cause-irreparable-harm/articleshow/64220156.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">‘anti-trust’</a> laws. Even Facebook isn’t out of hot water with the <keyword id="3168816" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="cambridge-analytica">Cambridge Analytica</keyword> data scandal hanging over its head and the Indian government <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/India-says-it-will-continue-probe-despite-Cambridge-Analytica-shutdown/articleshow/64029610.cms">declaring</a> it has no plans of retracting its inquiry.

Indian Supreme Court slaps Google, Facebook, Microsoft with ₹100,000 fine

New Delhi, Facing intense scrutiny over alleged data sharing with Facebook via new <keyword id="381506" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Privacy-policy">privacy policy</keyword>, <keyword id="790242" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="WhatsApp">WhatsApp</keyword> has reiterated that personal messages will always be end-to-end encrypted and the company cant read or listen to them. In a new blog post on Thursday, WhatsApp said that in the coming weeks, it will display a banner in its main platform providing <keyword id="2335137" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="More-information">more information</keyword> that people can read at their own pace. "We've also included more information to try and address concerns we're hearing. Eventually, we'll start reminding people to review and accept these updates to keep using WhatsApp," the company said. Last week, the <keyword id="6354977" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> said that people have grave apprehensions on loss of privacy, making it clear that it is the court's duty to protect this right as it heard a plea against WhatsApp's new privacy policy which has now been deferred till May 15. A bench, headed by the Chief Justice and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, told counsel for WhatsApp: "People have grave apprehensions about loss of privacy. You may be 2 or 3 trillion dollar company, but people value their privacy more than your money... we have to protect people's privacy." The top court issued notice to WhatsApp and Facebook on this plea against its new privacy policy. WhatsApp said that it believes people are looking for apps to be both reliable and safe, even if that requires WhatsApp having some limited data. "We strive to be thoughtful on the decisions we make and we'll continue to develop new ways of meeting these responsibilities with less information, not more," it mentioned. WhatsApp delayed the implementation of a new privacy policy by three months after it faced backlash, with millions of its users moving from the platform to rivals like Telegram and <keyword id="6380504" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="signal">Signal</keyword>. The policy change was originally scheduled to come into effect on February 8. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/not-just-a-tiktok-clone-says-chingari-app-founder-with-their-latest-shop-within-videos-feature-which-he-claims-is-the-next-big-thing-in-social-commerce/articleshow/81084432.cms">‘Not just a TikTok clone,’ says Chingari founder with their latest shop within videos feature which he claims is the next big thing in social commerce</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/samsung-galaxy-f62-review-the-new-mid-range-killer/articleshow/81084382.cms">Samsung Galaxy F62 review – the new mid-range killer</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/cairn-energy-ceo-meets-indian-finance-secretary-as-shareholders-impatiently-wait-for-action-on-the-1-4-billion-tax-dispute/articleshow/81087952.cms">Cairn Energy CEO meets Indian finance secretary as shareholders impatiently wait for action on the $1.4 billion tax dispute</a>

WhatsApp makes another attempt to explain its privacy policy

<ul><li>WhatsApp and Facebook filed a plea in the <keyword id="6355014" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="delhi-high-court">Delhi High Court</keyword> for a stay on the <keyword id="97393" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Competition-Commission-of-India">Competition Commission of India</keyword>’s (<keyword id="47183" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="CCI">CCI</keyword>) plans to conduct an antitrust investigation.</li><li>The tech giants argue that the issue of data sharing is one of privacy, and does not fall under the purview of India’s competition watchdog.</li><li>However, India's solicitor general undercut their argument saying the issue is not whether or not data is being collected — the issue is how it is being used.</li><li>He argued that changes to WhatsApp's privacy policy could give the companies an unfair advantage and ammunition to push competitors out of the market.</li></ul>India’s competition watchdog doesn’t want WhatsApp sharing user data with its parent company, Facebook. But, the tech giants don’t believe that is the CCI’s place to have an opinion on the matter. While the Delhi High Court has reserved its order on WhatsApp and Facebook’s challenge to the probe by the Competition Commission of India (CCI), the two sides had some scathing exchanges during the arguments. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="81673084" title="WhatsApp faces a fresh antitrust investigation in India over its new privacy policy that shares users’ data with Facebook" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> The plea filed by WhatsApp and its parent company asserted that since there is already an ongoing case in the <keyword id="6354977" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> over the policy update, the CCI does not need to conduct its own investigation. The messaging platform’s 2021 update states that WhatsApp will be sharing user data with Facebook in order to optimise recommendations for their users. The CCI contends that WhatsApp is using its dominant position in the market to force users to share information with its parent company. India’s competition watchdog believes that ‘excessive’ data collection is getting in the way of creating a healthy competitive environment. Harish Salve, who argued on behalf of the tech giants, asserted that the issue of whether excessive data collection has any anti-competitive implications is something for the Indian government to decide, not the CCI. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Is the WhatsApp-Facebook connection a matter of privacy or data use?" comment="subhead" text="Is the WhatsApp-Facebook connection a matter of privacy or data use?">Is the WhatsApp-Facebook connection a matter of privacy or data use?</cmsannotation> According to Salve, the CCI’s probe into Facebook and WhatsApp is not a matter of competition but of protection and privacy — which would fall under the government’s purview since they are constitutional issues. He also argued that since the privacy policy under question is with respect to WhatsApp, there is no point in dragging Facebook into the picture. However, assistant solicitor general (ASG) Aman Lekhi, hit back saying that the analysis of the data collected by WhatsApp will give even more information about an individual than actual physical stalking. The company can then use this data to either buy out the competition or make it irrelevant over time. “Facebook comes into the picture because of the privacy policy through which data collection is happening,” Lekhi explained. According to him, the purpose of data sharing is targeted advertising and customer profiling. So, when it comes to the issue of privacy versus access to data, the issue is that the data will have exclusionary effects. “The problem is that <a href="https://twitter.com/LiveLawIndia/status/1381887150371696645">nomenclature</a> is ‘privacy policy’ but the issues arising are to do with the competition aspect,” Lekhi told the High Court. Simply put, India's argument is that these changes to WhatsApp's privacy policy could give both the messaging app, as well as Facebook and Instagram, an unfair advantage over its competitors and may drive them out of business. The Delhi High Court has not issued a verdict on the matter and reserved its judgement. The date for the next hearing has not been announced yet. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/adani-ports-share-price-big-fall-in-two-days-amid-rising-covid-19-cases-and-myanmar-military-controversy/articleshow/82046212.cms">Adani Ports’ shares down 14% in two days as market fears a slump in global trade and Myanmar issue denting its image</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/gautam-adani-and-mukesh-ambani-cumulatively-lost-nearly-7-billion-as-the-markets-plunged/articleshow/82043202.cms">Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani cumulatively lost nearly $7 billion as the markets plunged</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tcs-has-broken-many-records-in-the-last-the-three-months-from-revenue-to-new-deals-to-new-hiring/articleshow/82034522.cms">TCS has broken many records in the last three months — but that isn't good enough for the market</a>

What WhatsApp and Facebook want to do is worse than stalking, India's solicitor general tells court

<ul><li>WhatsApp’s Global Head Will Cathcart announced that WhatsApp Payments will be rolling out for India users within the year.</li><li>India is WhatsApp’s largest market with a digital payments sector that set to hit $1 trillion in 2023.</li><li>But WhatsApp delayed entry in the market will be setting it up against the likes of Paytm, PhonePe, Google Pay and MobiKwik, who have already had time to establish their foothold in the market.</li></ul>WhatsApp Payments will finally be launching in India by the end of the year, according to Will Cathcart, WhatsApp’s Global Head. The Facebook-owned messaging service will finally have a crack at India’s digital payments sector that’s set to grow five times by 2023 reaching $1 trillion according to <a href="https://plus.credit-suisse.com/r/V7ax692AF-YEch">Credit Suisse</a>. Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, stated, "Even in a limited test, the feedback was very positive. So I'm quite confident that when we can roll this out broadly, it's going to be meaningfully valuable to the user experience," during Facebook's Q2 2019 <a href="https://s21.q4cdn.com/399680738/files/doc_financials/2019/Q2/Q2'19-Earnings-Call-Transcript.pdf" data-type="tilCustomLink">earnings call</a> on Wednesday. But it will be going up against the likes of Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm and Mobikwik — payment operators who have been in the Indian market for considerably longer. Even Paypal is <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/paypal-mulls-data-localisation-for-india-sets-up-tech-centre-119072300744_1.html">reportedly</a> looking to launch its payments service in India and is forming a strategy to comply with Indian laws. 
 
 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="We believe that if we get this right, it will accelerate financial inclusion and bring value for people in India’s fast growing digital economy. We can’t wait to provide the service more of our users all across India later this year." auname="Will Cathcart, WhatsApp Global Head, at an event in New Delhi"></div>







 Better late than never WhatsApp, in partnership with ICICI Bank, and has been testing its payments platform in India since February last year. It's a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-is-trying-to-make-payment-services-available-to-all-its-users-in-india/articleshow/66917241.cms">huge opportunity</a> for the company since India is its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/WhatsApp-is-planning-a-payments-service-for-its-biggest-market/articleshow/58013437.cms">biggest market</a> accounting for over 200 million of 1.3 billion users. The delayed initiation of its payments service means that it will be going up against Paytm, PhonePe, Google Pay and MobiKwik who have had over a year to establish a foothold in the market — if not longer. One million users have tried the new feature but its official roll out has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-rushing-to-launch-its-payments-feature-in-india-by-next-week/articleshow/64386826.cms">repeatedly delayed</a> due to policy changes in the country. WhatsApp and its many speed bumps India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), asked all payment operators in the country to store financial data from Indian users locally. Companies were given a 6-month deadline to comply with the new norms in order to continue their operations in India. Most operators complied with the new regulations but WhatsApp tried to reason with the government instead to allow it to store copies of the data with India but keep some of it on foreign servers as well — something that never came to fruition. RBI even filed an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-google-india-data-localisation-issues-npci-issues-enquiry/articleshow/66878922.cms">affidavit with the Supreme Court</a> stating that the Facebook-owned messaging service was yet to comply with the new data localisation regulations. Local payment operators in India also pointed out that WhatsApp’s payments feature might not be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-case-proves-that-india-needs-strong-data-protection-laws-says-the-man-who-took-it-court/articleshow/69974607.cms">entirely secure.</a> WhatsApp has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/beta-no-more-whatsapp-isnt-slowing-down-even-without-an-office/articleshow/65226054.cms">previously stated</a> that it would officially roll out its payments service until it was it full compliance with India’s rules and regulations. Launch plans for within this year means WhatsApp has made progress. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-indian-government-wants-to-build-its-own-whatsapp-for-official-communication/articleshow/69983904.cms">The Indian government wants to build its own WhatsApp for official communication</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-case-proves-that-india-needs-strong-data-protection-laws-says-the-man-who-took-it-court/articleshow/69974607.cms">WhatsApp case proves that India needs strong data protection laws, says the man who took it to court</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-personal-data-protection-bill-global-ceo-concerns/articleshow/68389336.cms">Here’s what global tech CEOs have to say about India's data protection laws</a>

WhatsApp Payments battling Paytm, Google Pay and PhonePe for India's $1 trillion opportunity by end of year

The Congress alleged on Thursday that the Modi government has been "caught snooping" after <keyword id="790242" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="WhatsApp">WhatsApp</keyword> said that journalists and human rights activists in India have been targets of surveillance, as it urged the Supreme Court to hold the Centre accountable over the issue. Facebook-owned WhatsApp said Indian journalists and human rights activists were among those globally spied upon by unnamed entities using an Israeli <keyword id="48511" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Spyware">spyware</keyword> Pegasus. "Modi govt caught snooping! Appalling but not Surprising! After all, BJP Govt- 1. Fought against our right to privacy. 2. Set up a multi crore Surveillance Structure until stopped by SC. SC must take immediate cognisance and issue notice to BJP government," Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in a tweet. "A government that spies on journalists/activists/Opposition leaders and treats its own citizens like criminals has lost the right to lead in our democracy. We urge the SC to take suo motu cognizance of these illegal activities and to hold this government to account," he said in another tweet. WhatsApp said it was suing <keyword id="3598670" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="NSO-Group">NSO Group</keyword>, an Israeli surveillance firm, that is reportedly behind the technology that helped unnamed entities' spies to hack into phones of roughly 1,400 users. These users span across four continents and included diplomats, political dissidents, journalists and senior government officials. However, it did not say on whose behest the phones of journalists and activists across the world were targeted. Tagging a media report which claimed that 1.3 million Indian payment card details are up for sale on the dark web, Surjewala also alleged that "data theft and data fraud" has become the norm since Modi government came to power. "Is this why Modi ji calls Data the new Oil (for BJP Machine?). 1.3 million Indian Payment Card Details are up for sale on Dark Web putting the card holders vulnerable to yet another synchronised fraud," he said. ASK SOM

You Searched For "supreme court on whatsapp" and got 12 results

India’s Supreme Court has put the government on a timer to curb misuse of social media

Prabhjote Gill

WhatsApp and Facebook get snubbed by the Delhi High Court that allowed India’s competition regulator to probe Mark Zuckerberg’s companies

Prabhjote Gill

A constitution bench would hear WhatsApp’s privacy policy matter this month

BI India Bureau

Investigating the WhatsApp hack — Parliament probe might trump the judiciary

Prabhjote Gill

Those feeling aggrieved can quit WhatsApp: Facebook tells SC

BI India Bureau

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp will be regulated in India — come January 15

Prabhjote Gill

Whatsapp, Google, Amazon and Facebook under the scanner for data protection violations as Supreme Court calls on RBI and NPCI to investigate

Prabhjote Gill

Indian Supreme Court slaps Google, Facebook, Microsoft with ₹100,000 fine

Prabhjote Gill

WhatsApp makes another attempt to explain its privacy policy

IANS

What WhatsApp and Facebook want to do is worse than stalking, India's solicitor general tells court

Prabhjote Gill

WhatsApp Payments battling Paytm, Google Pay and PhonePe for India's $1 trillion opportunity by end of year

Prabhjote Gill

Indian Supreme Court asked to hold government accountable for WhatsApp hack after accusations of 'snooping'

PTI

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides