NCLAT Clarifies WhatsApp Must Take User Consent for All Data Sharing

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has clarified that WhatsApp must take user consent before sharing any data, not just for advertising.

This is because the previous policy was seen as forcing users to accept data sharing or lose access to the service.

The tribunal gave WhatsApp three months to make the necessary changes.

WhatsApp argued that the changes would be complex, but the tribunal stood by its decision.

The issue started with a fine imposed on WhatsApp and its parent company Meta for a privacy policy update that was deemed exploitative and exclusionary.

The tribunal emphasized that users should have the choice to opt in or out of data sharing at any stage.