Meta to appeal CCI’s anti-trust order on WhatsApp data sharing

New Delhi: After the Competition Commission of India (CCI) directed WhatsApp to not share user data collected on its platform with other Meta products or companies for advertising purposes for a period of five years, the company said that it disagreed with the CCI’s decision and plans to appeal.

The competition watchdog, in its antitrust order related to WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy update, also fined Meta Rs 213.14 crore for allegedly abusing its dominant position.

According to the CCI order, “The 2021 policy update by WhatsApp on a ‘take it-or-leave-it’ basis constitutes an imposition of unfair conditions under the Act, as it compels all users to accept expanded data collection terms and sharing of data within Meta Group without any opt-out.”

In a statement to IANS, a Meta spokesperson said, “The 2021 WhatsApp update did not change the privacy of people’s personal messages and was offered as a choice for users at the time.”

“We also ensured no one would have their accounts deleted or lose functionality of the WhatsApp service because of this update. The update was about introducing optional business features on WhatsApp, and provided further transparency about how we collect and use data,” said the company spokesperson.

The company further stated that WhatsApp offers services supported by Meta.

“We are committed to finding a path forward that allows us to continue providing the experiences that people and businesses have come to expect from us,” said Meta spokesperson, adding that “We disagree with the CCI’s decision and plan to appeal.”

The CCI began a probe in March 2021 into WhatsApp’s revised privacy policy, which enabled mandatory data sharing with Facebook (now Meta) and its companies, along with an expanded scope of data collection.

Before this update, users had the option to decide whether to share their data with the company. WhatsApp has more than 500 million monthly active users in the country.

–IANS