Rs 213 Crore Fine Against Meta: Will CCI Action Impact Users? Company Responds | EXCLUSIVE

Meta is set appeal against The Competition Commission of India's (CCI) anti-trust statement on November 18, which accused The Facebook's parent company of breaching data privacy laws and misusing its dominant position in the market. Speaking to Republic Business, a Meta spokesperson said that the company 'firmly denies any wrongdoing'.

"We disagree with the CCI’s decision and plan to appeal," a Meta spokesperson said, adding - "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."

Rs 213 crore fine against Meta: What is CCI's accusation?

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 213.14 crore on Meta for its alleged anti-competitive practices in relation to 2021 Privacy Policy Update - CCI said in a press release.

The Commission fined Meta for allegedly abusing its ‘dominant position’ in the market, and promoting anti-competitive practices'. “Sharing of user data collected on WhatsApp with other Meta companies… for purposes other than for providing WhatsApp service shall not be made a condition for users to access WhatsApp Service in India,” the CCI stated.

Rs 213 crore fine on Meta: What Is Meta's Response?

"The update was about introducing optional business features on WhatsApp, and provided further transparency about how we collect and use data," Meta said in a statement. "Meta stands by the fact that the updates have been beneficial to people and big and small businesses, all of which furthers the economy... WhatsApp is able to do all of this because it offers services supported by Meta," the company further added.

CCI restricts Meta from sharing data: What's The impact on users?

"The 2021 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," said the Meta spokesperson.


Also Read: Why Has The CCI Imposed Heft Penalty On WhatsApp Over Data Privacy Violation? | Republic Business