New Delhi, November 19, 2024.
A day after being fined by the Competition Commission of India (CCI), Meta said it “disagrees” with the body’s decision over WhatsApp’s controversial 2021 privacy policy update and plans to appeal it.
On Monday night, India’s competition watchdog said it was imposing a Rs 213.14 crore penalty on the social media giant for “abusing” its dominant position in relation to the messaging platform’s privacy policy update from three years ago. The concerns revolved around how the privacy policy was implemented, and user data was collected and shared with other Meta companies.
“…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,” Meta said in a statement on Tuesday, following the CCI’s decision.
“The update was about introducing optional business features on WhatsApp, and provided further transparency about how we collect and use data. And since that time, WhatsApp has been incredibly valuable to people and businesses, enabling organisations and government institutions to deliver citizen services through COVID and beyond, and as well as supporting small businesses, all of which furthers the Indian economy. WhatsApp is able to do all of this because it offers services supported by Meta,” it added.
