In India, messaging service WhatsApp is not allowed to share user data with parent company Meta’s other applications for advertising purposes for five years. India’s competition authority, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), made the decision on Monday and imposed a fine of Rs 213.14 million (about 24 million euros) on the company for antitrust violations.
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India’s competition watchdog has accused WhatsApp, which has more than 500 million users in India, of abusing its dominant market position. In 2021, WhatsApp updated its terms of service and privacy policy, requiring users to accept expanded data sharing terms with meta-companies to continue using the app. CCI then started investigating the way WhatsApp collected user data and shared it with other meta-companies.
“Sharing of user data collected on WhatsApp to other meta-enterprises or meta-enterprise products for purposes other than the provision of WhatsApp services shall not be made a condition of users’ access to the WhatsApp service in India,” the CCI said. in a statementIn addition to the fine, the antitrust authority has ordered WhatsApp to stop giving user data to meta-companies for advertising purposes for five years. After this period, users should be given the opportunity to opt out of sharing data that is not related to the service. WhatsApp must also explain what data is shared with meta-companies, how it is used and what purposes it serves.
Network blocking and regulation of social networks
In India, WhatsApp has long been used differently and more widely than in Europe. WhatsApp users in India can place their supermarket orders directly in the messenger. However, to do this, shoppers will also need to enter their bank details on WhatsApp. In 2021, social network operators in India were obliged to notify authorities at the request of the author of a shared message, with WhatsApp filing a lawsuit against this requirement.
India is the world’s second largest telecom market with over one billion subscribers. At the same time, the country is the world champion in terms of completely shutting down the network. Internet blocks in India are a popular tool among local and national authorities, for example to crack down on protests. Not everyone in the country likes this. Last year, Indian telecom regulator TRAI made a new effort to regulate so-called over-the-top services (OTT services), including social networks like Facebook, WhatsApp and Signal.
(AKN)
