Read more about Traders’ body moves SC against WhatsApp, Facebook over privacy policy on Business Standard. CAIT said it will not allow any Corporate or Conglomerate to enforce its obnoxious policies and sinister designs to make a profit in an unethical manner
The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which represents 70 million traders, has filed a petition in the challenging the updated privacy policy of Facebook-owned messaging giant The petition comes with the prayer to direct to withdraw its new (updated) privacy policy which is encroaching upon various fundamental rights of the citizens granted by Constitution of India. CAIT has also prayed that Union of India must frame guidelines to govern big technology companies like and frame policies which would protect the privacy of citizens and businesses. “WhatsApp has adopted the approach of ‘my way or the highway’ which is arbitrary, unjustified, unconstitutional and cannot be accepted in a democratic country like India. WhatsApp has been fraudulently collecting personal user data,” CAIT President B C Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal alleged in a statement. The traders’ body said the petition highlights the difference of approach in EU (European Union) and India with respect to the privacy policy of WhatsApp and how the data of Indian users can be misused by big tech companies. The petition has been drafted by Advocate Abir Roy and settled and filed in by Advocate on Record Vivek Narayan Sharma. CAIT said at the time of its launch, WhatsApp attracted users based on the promise of non-sharing of user data and strong privacy principles. In 2014, after the acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook, when the users were in fear that their personal data will be shared with Facebook, WhatsApp promised that nothing would change in the privacy policy.
