Meta Hit With Rs 213 Crore Penalty In India Over WhatsApp Privacy Violations

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) fined Meta Rs 213.14 crore on Monday for abusing its dominance through WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy update.

It also barred WhatsApp from sharing user data with Meta for advertising for five years and issued other remedial measures.

This marks a major setback for Meta in India, its largest market, where WhatsApp alone has over 500 million active users.

The CCI launched an investigation in March 2021 into WhatsApp’s policy mandating data sharing with Meta platforms, replacing the earlier opt-out option. The update, announced in January 2021, faced backlash and was delayed.

After three years, the CCI found the "take-it-or-leave-it" policy unfair for forcing users to accept expanded data sharing.

It ordered WhatsApp to clearly explain how user data is shared and allow users to opt out, with settings to modify preferences easily accessible.