Supreme Court Slams WhatsApp, Meta Over Data Sharing for Targeted Ads

• The Supreme Court criticized WhatsApp for sharing user data with Meta for targeted advertising, calling it a breach of privacy.
• The court labeled the data sharing as 'theft' and emphasized that companies cannot exploit user privacy in India.
• It highlighted concerns that data sharing allows monetization of consumer behavior for targeted ads, going beyond mere privacy issues.
• The Supreme Court warned it would not permit WhatsApp to share user data with Meta, citing WhatsApp's market monopoly and lack of user choice.
• The court questioned the immediate appearance of product ads after mentioning them in WhatsApp messages and noted the complexity of privacy policies for common users.

Why It Matters: Supreme Court strongly rebukes WhatsApp and Meta for data sharing, citing privacy violations and market monopoly.