MP High Court Asks Petitioner to Approach Data Protection Board Over Instagram Encryption Issue

The Madhya Pradesh High Court directed a petitioner challenging Instagram’s decision to remove end-to-end encryption from direct messages to first approach the Data Protection Board of India.

The Court held that statutory remedies under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 must be exhausted before invoking writ jurisdiction.

It granted urgency, directing the Board to pass a reasoned order within 15 days, ahead of the proposed May 2026 rollback.

The plea argued that removal of encryption violates the fundamental right to privacy under Article 21.