Mon Jan 06 17:06:05 UTC 2025: ## Meta Challenges CCI’s ₹213 Crore Penalty in WhatsApp Privacy Case
**New Delhi, January 6, 2025** – Meta Platforms Inc. has appealed to the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) against a ₹213.14 crore penalty imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI). The CCI penalized Meta in November 2024 for unfair business practices related to a 2021 WhatsApp privacy policy update.
The appeal, filed on Monday, was mentioned before an NCLAT bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Mukul Rohatgi, representing Meta, requested an urgent hearing. The tribunal has scheduled a hearing for January 16.
The CCI’s November ruling found Meta guilty of abusing its dominant position and ordered it to cease anti-competitive practices. The regulator also mandated several remedial measures, including a five-year ban on sharing WhatsApp user data with other Meta companies for advertising purposes. The CCI further stipulated that access to WhatsApp services in India cannot be conditioned on sharing user data with other Meta entities for purposes beyond providing WhatsApp services.
First Piper 