The Competition Commission of India (CCI) issued an order under Section 27 of the Competition Act, 2002, restricting WhatsApp from sharing user data with Meta or its affiliated products for advertising purposes for five years, effective November 18, 2024. The directive was based on concerns arising from WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy and data-sharing practices. However, the order has been challenged before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), which has granted an interim stay on CCI’s restriction regarding data sharing for advertising purposes. The matter remains sub-judice, and the government has not announced additional measures pending the legal proceedings.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 854
ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, THE 11th February, 2025 / MAGHA 22, 1946 (Saka)
CCI order to WhatsApp and Meta
QUESTION
854. Smt. Priyanka Chaturvedi:
Will the Minister of CORPORATE AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) the status of implementation of CCI’s orders to WhatsApp and Meta based on their 2021 privacy policy and data sharing policy; and
(b) the measures proposed by Government to prevent misuse of WhatsApp data following the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal’s interim stay on CCI’s order?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS.
(SHRI HARSH MALHOTRA)
(a) &(b): The Competition Commission of India (CCI) passed an order under Section 27 of the Competition Act, 2002, wherein the CCI has given directions to WhatsApp regarding not sharing user data collected on its platform with other Meta companies or other Meta Products for advertising purposes for a period of five years from 18.11.2024, sharing of WhatsApp user data for purposes other than advertising etc.
The above order has been challenged in the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) wherein an interim stay on the CCI’s directive prohibiting data sharing for advertising purposes for five years has been given. The matter is sub-judice.
