New Delhi: Competition Commission of India (CCI) told the Delhi High Court on Thursday it was unable to move an inch in its 2021 WhatsApp privacy policy investigation over a court order that gave Facebook and Whatsapp time to submit responses related to the probe.Also Read – Now Anyone Can Migrate WhatsApp Chats from Android to iOS, Vice Versa
CCI told a bank headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma that there was “virtually a suspension” of proceedings and that the antitrust regulator should be allowed to conduct its investigation and that Facebook and WhatsApp should be asked to submit their responses. Also Read – Twitter Update: After Hindi and English, Company Launches Tamil Topics for Android, iOS and Web Users | Declaration inside
The bank heard appeals from WhatsApp LLC and Facebook Inc challenging a court order rejecting their pleas against the CCI-ordered investigation into WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy. “The study is 16 months old… We can’t move an inch. We need to get permission to investigate,” the senior attorney said. Also Read – WhatsApp Tips and Tricks: Disable WhatsApp without uninstalling the app. Step by step guide here
What happened in court on Thursday?
On January 3, a bank led by then Chief Justice DN Patel extended the time for submission of replies by Facebook and WhatsApp to two June 2021 CCI notices asking them to provide certain information in view of its investigation. .
The court verbally noted on Thursday that “there was no adjournment” regarding the investigation and held that the two companies should submit their response to the CCI and list the case for further consideration on July 22. A lawyer who appeared before the plaintiffs said their appeals would be fruitless if the provisional protection is removed and is informed that a preliminary answer has already been filed with the CCI. A senior lawyer appearing for Facebook India urged the court to postpone the hearing on the appeal, saying the case concerns “matters of interest”.
What is going on?
In January 2021, based on some news reports, the CCI had decided to investigate WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy.
WhatsApp and Facebook subsequently challenged the CCI’s March 2021 injunction in a single judge, saying the matter regarding its new policy was already pending in the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court. However, the lone judge on April 22 last year refused the investigation led by the CCI. The lone judge believed that while it would have been “cautious” for the CCI to await the outcome of petitions in the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court against WhatsApp’s new privacy policy, failure to do so would warrant the order of would not make the regulator “perverted”. or “lack of jurisdiction”. The CCI had argued before the sole judge that it was not investigating alleged violations of individuals’ privacy (which was investigated by the Supreme Court), but rather alleged reports of excessive data collection and “stalking” of consumers for targeted advertising, an alleged abuse of a dominant position.
(With inputs from PTI)
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