As the Delhi High Court began hearing a petition challenging the new privacy policy of WhatsApp, there seemed to be some confusion as to who was representing whom. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Mukul Rohatgi are appearing for Facebook and WhatsApp, and on Monday, the latter appeared to be a tad confused about which of the two companies he was appearing on behalf of.
"I'm appearing for WhatsApp," Live Law quotes Mukul Rohatgi as stating confidently. "I'm appearing for WhatsApp. You are appearing for Facebook," clarifies Kapil Sibal.
Rohatgi however was quick to recover from the revelation. "Either way, I am submitting that the app is completely safe to use," he was quoted as saying. It must be noted that Facebook is the parent company to which WhatsApp belongs.
The petition had sought an injunction order against WhatsApp's implementation of its new privacy policy, alleging that it was against the fundamental right to privacy. Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva of the Delhi High Court however did not seem to be swayed by this. As he told the petitioner, people with privacy concerns were free to move to alternative apps. "It's a voluntary thing," he told the petitioner while adjourning the hearing to January 25.
He also pointed out that WhatsApp was not the only app that shared data. "Do you know Google Maps also shares data?" the Court asked.
