New Privacy Policy: Facebook-WhatsApp request to put on hold CCI notice

Social media giant Facebook and its owned WhatsApp on Monday urged the Delhi High Court to stay the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) notice. In this, it has been asked to provide some information in connection with the investigation of the new privacy policy of the app.

A vacation bench of Justices Anoop Jairam Bhambani and Jasmeet Singh said it will pass orders on the application. The bench said that since it is a vacation bench, it does not want to get into the merits of the matter while the major petitions are pending before a bench headed by the Chief Justice.

“We will pass the order,” the bench said. The matter will be listed for July 9.

At the same time, senior advocate Harish Salve, representing WhatsApp, told the bench that the problem is that a fresh notice was issued on June 4 and the last date for replying to it is today, that is, June 21. This policy has been challenged in the Supreme Court and several petitions have been filed in the High Court.

Harish Salve said that the central government is also looking into this new privacy policy. On the other hand, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Facebook, before the bench, said that the matter has jurisdiction over here and it is not correct as the Supreme Court is looking into the matter.

In the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Aman Lekhi, appearing for the CCI, opposed the petitions saying that the information given at the stage of investigation does not mean that the CCI is giving the order. The notice has been issued regarding the investigation, which is not stayed. This is not the first notice issued to them.

When the court asked what was the haste in issuing the notice by the CCI, Lekhi said the question was not of haste but the matter itself was a lengthy process. He said that till the time the report is not submitted by the Director General of CCI, no action will be taken against him.