WhatsApp: Three months soon after WhatsApp announced its updated privacy policy, the controversies and probes do not appear to be going away. The international criticism did not deter WhatsApp from continuing to push forth its updated terms and services, but in India, the competitors regulatory body CCI had ordered an antitrust probe into the Facebook-owned platform. WhatsApp as properly as Facebook had opposed this order in the Delhi High Court. In the matter, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Tuesday told the Delhi HC that the new policy that WhatsApp announced would outcome in excessive information collection as properly as “stalking” of shoppers. This information would be utilized for targeted marketing to bring in more customers, it mentioned, which would hence quantity to abuse of WhatsApp’s dominant position.
The CCI, represented by senior advocate Aman Lekhi, was defending its order which directed that there be an investigation into the updated policy, and asserted that it was only seeking into the influence the policy would have on the compact, and not into the way the policy allegedly violates the users’ privacy. The latter is at the moment becoming looked into by the Supreme Court. This, the CCI mentioned, led to there becoming no error of jurisdiction. In its defence, it also stated that WhatsApp and Facebook’s pleas difficult the CCI probe order have been incompetent as properly as misconceived.
CCI advocate Lekhi told the HC, which has reserved its order, that only soon after an investigation could it be determined irrespective of whether WhatsApp’s collection of information and then its utilisation by Facebook would be an anti-competitive practice or an abuse of its dominant position.
CCI additional stated that the collected information, which would involve info like the place of the user, the form of device that they have been applying, the people today they are conversing with as properly as their net provider, would outcome in the improvement of a consumer profile and preference. This info could then be monetised applying targeted marketing. The CCI additional mentioned that all of this would quantity to “stalking”.
Lekhi also argued that at this point, there would be no civil consequence of the probe which would only be an administrative proceeding.
While difficult the choice, WhatsApp and Facebook mentioned that the matter of privacy policy was currently becoming looked into by the Supreme Court as properly as the Delhi HC, which meant the CCI did not have to have to order a probe, and alleged that the CCI was abusing its suo motu jurisdiction by intervening into a matter that the apex court was currently seeking into.