Investigating Agency Cannot Retain Username/Password Of Accused Person’s Social Media Platform: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court has held that an investigating agency cannot retain the username and password of the social media platform of the accused person during the investigation. The Court said that the investigating agency should download and store the data required from the social media platforms and should give back the changed login credentials to the accused.”…an investigating agency cannot retain the user name and password of social media/digital platform like Facebook and YouTube pending investigation, the investigation agency can download the data required from such account and thereafter has to give back the changed credentials to the person who owns the said social media”, observed a single bench of Justice Suraj Govindraj.