India is asking a court to block WhatsApp from sharing data with Facebook, saying the change violates local laws.
Facebook made waves in January with an announcement it was changing how data was shared between WhatsApp and other Facebook-owned companies. While the immediate backlashforced Facebook to delay its plans, it did not change them, only pushed them back. Ultimately, users who failed to accept the new terms would still lose access to their accounts.
India is now pushing back, saying the change violates local laws, according to TechCrunch. The government is taking the matter to court in an effort to block Facebook’s actions.
“Social media in recent years has been used by billions of people around the world and millions of Indians today are dependent on WhatsApp. Therefore, information that is generally personal is shared at an enormous level. This information is susceptible to being misused if the social media giant decides to either sell or exploit the information, sensitive to the users, to any third party,” said the government’s filing.
It remains to be seen if the Indian government will be successful. If it is, however, it could set a precedent other countries will follow, given how unpopular the change has been.