India imposes Rs 213 crore penalty on Meta, blocks WhatsApp data sharing; tech giant to appeal
PTC News Desk: The Competition Commission of India's (CCI) ruling that WhatsApp's 2021 privacy policy change was anticompetitive will be appealed by social media giant Meta.
The CCI fined Meta Rs 213.14 crore (about USD 25.3 million) on Monday for violating the Competition Act by exploiting its dominant position through the 2021 modification to WhatsApp's privacy policy.
"We intend to appeal the CCI's decision because we disagree with it. As a reminder, the 2021 update was available to users at the time and did not change the privacy of their personal messages. We also made sure that no one will lose WhatsApp functionality or have their accounts cancelled as a result of this update," a spokesperson for Meta said.
WhatsApp was ordered by the CCI on Monday to refrain from sharing user data for advertising purposes with Facebook and Instagram or other Meta firms for a period of five years.
Additionally, the CCI has prohibited WhatsApp from requiring user data sharing with Meta firms in order to use its services in India.
WhatsApp's policy must outline the kind of data that are provided and the reasons behind them when it comes to Meta companies and goods for purposes other than advertising.
Users of WhatsApp must be given the option to opt out of data sharing and change their preferences in-app if their data is shared for purposes other than delivering WhatsApp services. All users, including those who approved the 2021 upgrade, must have access to this option.
- PTC NEWS
