Instant messaging application WhatsApp on Wednesday clarified that its users do not need to fear any infringement of their privacy when it comes to sharing information with Facebook.
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“There is no question of messages, photographs or documents getting shared with Facebook”. Under the new norm, it announced it would and could share users’ personal information, including their phone numbers, with its parent company Facebook.
Nearly 85% of smartphone social media app users ages 15 to 24 surveyed by Blackbox Research said they used the Facebook app, no doubt an impressive number-but almost 100% of those ages 25 to 49 said the same.
The PIL sought a directive from the court to the Central government to form a policy for app-based messengers to inform users about “true import of their privacy policy”, and to restrain WhatsApp from misusing data collected through its messenger service. In fact, there were some users who’ve tried to use this feature with Facebook Messenger, but Siri said that “Facebook Messenger hasn’t set that up with me yet”.
“As part of the Facebook family of companies, WhatsApp receives information from, and shares information with, this family of companies”.
Senior Advocate Pratibha Singh began the arguments today by presenting an allegedly new development on the Whatsapp website in which Whatsapp claims that user information will be shared with Facebook and the users are given an option of “opting-out” in case they do not want their information shared.
The plea says that WhatsApp new privacy policy merely gives an opt out option for commercial content and advertisements. Prathibha Singh, told the court on behalf of the petitioners. The new privacy policy is creating ripples in Europe and the United States of America.
In the petition filed before the court, Sareen and Sethi questioned the proposed new policy of sharing data with Facebook.
Pleading it did not possess any power to address the issue, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India submitted that its role was restricted to making recommendations to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
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The court will take up the matter for further hearing on September 21.
