WhatsApp informs Delhi High Court that they have voluntarily put updated privacy policy on hold.
The court was hearing a plea by the instant messaging platform and its owners, Facebook, challenging a CCI, or Competition Commission of India, inquiry into the policy. The CCI had issued notices to both companies last month, asking for more information about the policy.
Representing WhatsApp, senior Advocate Harish Salve tells Delhi HC that Whatsapp has responded to MEITY's notice seeking a response. "WhatsApp will not limit functionality for some time and continue to show users the updated until Data Protection Bill comes into force", he added.
WhatsApp will continue to display the update to its users, Mr Salve added.
WhatsApp's new privacy policy - which was announced for February - has triggered a massive row with the government amid widespread concerns of data-sharing with parent company Facebook, and potential violation of users' rights.
The court was hearing a plea by the instant messaging platform and its owner, Facebook, challenging a CCI, or Competition Commission of India, inquiry into the policy.
In the previous hearing on June 23, the High Court refused to stay the CCI notice to WhatsApp.
The company had argued that the notices "smacked of overreach" since the information it was seeking was already pending before a different bench of the same court. It also reminded the High Court that related challenges were still pending before both the Supreme Court and itself.
WhatsApp's new privacy policy was to have come into effect in early February. However, faced with massive backlash from users (that prompted the government to intervene), rollout was delay till May 15, and then pushed back once more a week before that deadline.
