India Warns WhatsApp Over User Data Sharing Practices
According to the Economic Desk of Webangah News Agency, WhatsApp has been embroiled in a conflict with India’s antitrust regulator since November 2024, when it was fined $25.4 million and banned for five years from sharing user data with other Meta platforms for advertising purposes.
An appellate court later overturned the data-sharing restriction but upheld the financial penalty, prompting both parties to appeal to the Supreme Court.
During Tuesday’s hearing, India’s Chief Justice questioned WhatsApp’s privacy policy, stating it was ‘very cleverly designed to mislead users.’
India represents Meta’s largest market by user count. While the company doesn’t provide country-specific figures, research firm DataPortal estimates Facebook has 403 million users and Instagram has 481 million users in India.
WhatsApp previously warned the ban might force it to discontinue certain features in India, potentially harming its business operations.
The Supreme Court has not issued a final ruling and will continue hearing the case next week.
Meta’s privacy policies have faced scrutiny in other countries. In 2023, the U.S. tech giant agreed to explain privacy policy changes in plain language after being accused of violating EU law.
India’s 2024 antitrust ruling found WhatsApp’s policy gave users an unfair choice between accepting changes or risking service access, without providing opt-out options.
Reuters reports WhatsApp publicly acknowledges sharing phone numbers, transaction data, business interaction details, and device information with Meta.
