The Supreme Court of India has criticised WhatsApp and Meta Platforms for their privacy policy, saying they cannot treat users’ right to privacy lightly. During a hearing, the bench remarked that data protection is a fundamental right and that messaging platforms must respect it rather than using vague language that could lead to data exploitation or misuse.
The court’s observations came while hearing petitions challenging WhatsApp’s privacy terms and data collection practices, with the judges emphasising that users’ privacy cannot be compromised through contractual fine print. The ruling did not strike down WhatsApp’s policy, but the strong rebuke highlights growing judicial scrutiny over how large platforms handle personal data.