India, May 14 -- The Karnataka high court has ruled that digital intermediaries cannot use privacy laws or their intermediary status to avoid cooperating with lawful criminal investigations and dismissed a petition by digital payments platform PhonePe against a police request for user information linked to alleged online sports betting transactions.

Justice M Nagaprasanna said user privacy was important but the firm could not brush aside lawful investigations, especially amid the recent surge in cybercrimes.

"The protection of consumer privacy cannot eclipse the lawful imperative of investigating officers to secure evidence and take the investigation to its logical conclusion. Confidentiality must coexist with accountability," the high ...