Supreme Court Slams WhatsApp Over Data Sharing, Orders Halt to User Data Transfer
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The Supreme Court has delivered a stern warning to online messaging giant WhatsApp, stating that it will not allow the exploitation of personal data of Indian citizens. The top court expressed its disapproval of WhatsApp's practice of sharing user data with its parent company, Meta Platforms, calling it a 'decent way of committing theft of personal information'. The case revolves around a ₹213.14 crore penalty imposed on WhatsApp by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) in November 2025. WhatsApp had challenged the order, but the Supreme Court has now directed the company to halt data sharing with Meta until further notice. The court also rejected Meta's claim that WhatsApp is a free service, saying that users 'pay' with their data. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that personal data is commercially exploited, and users are not treated as customers but as products. WhatsApp's senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi argued that users could opt-out of data sharing, but the court countered that the policy is too complicated for most citizens to understand. The bench also noted that the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, which governs data use, is not yet in force. The court has impleaded the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) as a party to the proceedings and posted the matter for further hearing on February 10. The bench has made it clear that any further hearing on merits will depend on Meta's undertaking to halt data sharing entirely.
