India Fines Meta Rs 213 Crore, Bans WhatsApp Data Sharing for Five Years

Nov 19, 2024, 02:39 AM

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 213.14 crore ($25.4 million) on Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, for anti-competitive practices related to WhatsApp's 2021 privacy policy update. The CCI found that WhatsApp abused its dominant position by forcing users to accept the updated privacy policy, which involved collecting and sharing user data with other Meta companies without an opt-out option. Alongside the monetary penalty, the CCI issued a cease-and-desist order and directed WhatsApp to implement specific behavioral remedies within a defined timeline. The regulator has instructed WhatsApp to refrain from sharing user data with other Meta-owned applications for advertising purposes for a period of five years. Meta has expressed disagreement with the decision and plans to appeal against the CCI's order.