India Cracks Down on WhatsApp: Data Sharing Curbed, $25 Million Fine Imposed
Matilda
India Cracks Down on WhatsApp: Data Sharing Curbed, $25 Million Fine Imposed
India's Competition Commission of India (CCI) has made a significant stride in safeguarding user privacy by imposing a hefty fine of $25.4 million on Meta and restricting WhatsApp's data sharing practices. This landmark decision marks a pivotal moment in India's digital sovereignty journey, setting a precedent for other nations to follow. The Controversial Privacy Policy Update In 2021, WhatsApp introduced a controversial privacy policy update that mandated users to share their data with Meta's family of apps, including Facebook and Instagram. This move sparked widespread outrage and concerns over user privacy and data security. Critics argued that the policy update was an overreach of power and a blatant disregard for user consent. The CCI's Investigation and Findings The CCI initiated an investigation into WhatsApp's practices, scrutinizing the company's business model and data sharing policies. The watchdog concluded that WhatsApp had abused its dominant pos…