New Delhi. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp, has suffered a major setback. In fact, Competition Commission of India i.e. CCI has taken major action on Meta and imposed a fine of Rs 213.1 crore. This matter is related to the 2021 privacy policy update of WhatsApp.
CCI says that Meta misused its ‘dominant position’ to implement WhatsApp’s privacy policy in 2021. Competition watchdog CCI has also directed Meta and WhatsApp to implement some behavioral reforms and ordered them to stop such activities immediately.
Facebook and WhatsApp together have more than one billion users in India
Antitrust watchdog CCI’s order has dealt a blow to Meta in its biggest user market, where both of them have a combined user base of more than one billion. WhatsApp alone has more than 50 crore users in India.
CCI has directed WhatsApp not to share user data collected on its platform with other meta companies or company products for advertising purposes for 5 years. CCI has said that for purposes other than advertising, WhatsApp’s policy should clearly state which user data is being shared with other meta companies or the company’s products. The purpose of data sharing should also be clearly stated in this explanation.
first published : November 18, 2024, 9:43 PM IST
