December 13, 2024 21:55 (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Bengaluru techie suicide: Karnataka Police issues summons to wife Nikita, her family members | French President Macron appoints centrist leader Francois Bayrou as new Prime Minister | Congress always prioritised personal interest over Constitution: Rajnath Singh | Jaishankar calls attack on Hindus in Bangladesh 'a source of concern' | Allu Arjun arrested over woman's death in stampede during Pushpa 2 premiere show | RBI receives bomb threat in Russian language, case filed | UP teenager kills mother, lives with body for 5 days | At least six people including a child killed in Tamil Nadu hospital fire | Amid Atul Subhash row, SC says mere harassment is not enough to prove abetment to suicide | India's D Gukesh becomes youngest ever world champion in chess
Meta
CCI on Monday slapped a Rs 213.14 crore penalty on social media giant Meta for engaging in unfair business practices related to WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy update. Representational image from Pixabay

Meta disagrees with CCI's Rs 213-crore penalty over WhatsApp policy, to file an appeal

| @indiablooms | Nov 20, 2024, at 06:42 pm

New Delhi/IBNS: WhatsApp parent Meta plans to contest the Rs 213.14 crore fine imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for alleged anti-competitive practices tied to WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy update, according to media reports.

Alongside the penalty, the CCI directed the company to halt these practices and implement corrective measures within a specified timeline.

The CCI ruled that WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy enabled the sharing of user data with other Meta-owned platforms, such as Facebook, for advertising purposes, which it deemed anti-competitive.

The commission has prohibited WhatsApp from sharing user data with Meta for the next five years and instructed the company to take actions to resolve these issues. 

The order requires WhatsApp to provide detailed transparency about the types of data shared with other Meta platforms, linking each data type to its purpose.

It also prohibits making such data-sharing a condition for using WhatsApp in India, ensuring the app remains accessible regardless of user consent for non-service-related data sharing. 

A Meta spokesperson expressed disagreement with the CCI’s findings, stating that the 2021 policy update was optional and did not affect the privacy of users’ personal messages.

The spokesperson clarified that no user faced account suspension or service disruption for declining the update, which primarily introduced optional business features and aimed to enhance transparency around data collection. 

“WhatsApp plays a crucial role in India’s economy, supporting small businesses, government services, and enterprises, particularly during Covid-19 and beyond. The platform leverages Meta’s infrastructure to provide efficient services,” the spokesperson said, emphasising the company’s commitment to addressing user concerns while maintaining operational efficiency. 

In response to data-sharing concerns, the CCI has instructed WhatsApp to introduce an opt-out option for users in India, including those who previously accepted the 2021 policy.

This feature must be prominently displayed within the app via notifications, allowing users to control whether their data is shared with Meta for non-WhatsApp-related purposes. 

Additionally, the commission barred WhatsApp from using shared user data for advertising and mandated that any other data-sharing must be clearly explained to users, ensuring transparency and compliance with Indian regulations.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.