WhatsApp Data Sharing: Meta to Appeal India’s CCI Ruling

Meta Platforms announced on Tuesday its intention to appeal a ruling by India’s competition regulator (The Competition Commission of India (CCI))  that restricts the company from sharing data between WhatsApp and its other applications for advertising purposes. The order also imposes a $25.4 million fine on the U.S. tech giant.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) stated on Monday that the data-sharing restrictions would remain in place for five years. The investigation into WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy, which allowed data sharing between Meta and its subsidiaries, began in March 2021, triggering a global backlash.

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The CCI specified: “Sharing of user data collected on WhatsApp with other Meta companies for purposes other than providing the WhatsApp service shall not be made a condition for users to access the WhatsApp service in India.”

A Meta spokesperson clarified on Tuesday that the 2021 update did not affect the privacy of users’ personal messages.

 “We also ensured that no one would have their accounts deleted or lose functionality of the WhatsApp service because of this update,” the spokesperson added.