New Delhi. The Competition Commission of India has imposed a fine of Rs 213.14 crore on Facebook and WhatsApp’s parent company Meta for abusing its dominance. This fine has been imposed in connection with the privacy policy update of 2021. This matter is related to the implementation of WhatsApp’s 2021 Privacy Policy along with collecting user data and sharing it with other companies of Meta. The Commission has directed that WhatsApp will not share user data collected on its platform with other Meta companies or Meta company products for advertising purposes. This ban has been imposed for 5 years. The Commission has also directed Meta and WhatsApp to take some improvement steps within a stipulated time.
The Commission found that the 2021 policy update was inappropriate. The Commission said in its order that Meta violated the Competition Act through the update. The Commission said that sharing WhatsApp data among Meta companies for purposes other than providing WhatsApp service is an entry barrier for Meta’s rival companies. This prevents other companies from entering the display advertising market. The Commission also found that Meta used its dominance in the market of OTT messaging apps through smartphones to protect its position in the online display advertising market, which is also in violation of the Act.
CCI imposes a monetary penalty of ₹213.14 crore on Meta for 2021 Privacy Policy Update, along with a cease-and-desist direction and specific behavioral remedies. pic.twitter.com/JUNCHP9oF0
— CCI (@CCI_India) November 18, 2024
