Meta platform announced plans to legally challenge the Competition Commission of India’s order restricting WhatsApp from sharing user data with other Meta-owned platforms for advertising purposes for five years.
The CCI also fined Meta $25.4 million for antitrust violations tied to WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy.
Meta expressed disagreement with the ruling and intends to contest it.
The CCI initiated its investigation into WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy in March of that year after global criticism over its data-sharing provisions with Meta and its subsidiaries.
On Monday, the CCI stated that sharing user data with other Meta companies for purposes beyond providing WhatsApp services cannot be mandatory for users in India to access the app.
“Sharing of user data collected on WhatsApp with other Meta companies… for purposes other than for providing WhatsApp service shall not be made a condition for users to access WhatsApp Service in India,” the CCI said on Monday.
This ruling seeks to ensure user data privacy and curb potential antitrust violations.
A Meta spokesperson clarified on Tuesday that the 2021 privacy policy update did not affect the privacy of users’ personal messages, emphasizing that the changes were related to optional business messaging features and not individual conversations.
“We also ensured no one would have their accounts deleted or lose functionality of the WhatsApp service because of this update,” the spokesperson said.
