Meta Platforms said on Tuesday it disagreed with an order by India's competition watchdog that placed data-sharing restrictions between WhatsApp and its other applications and said it would legally challenge the order.

India’s competition watchdog has ordered WhatsApp to stop sharing user data with other Meta units for advertising purposes for five years and also levied a fine of $25.4 million for antitrust violations related to WhatsApp’s controversial 2021 privacy policy.

Meta does not agree with the fine for antitrust violations by WhatsApp in India and announces legal action.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – India’s competition watchdog directed WhatsApp to refrain from sharing user data for advertising purposes with other applications owned by Meta for a period of five years and fined the U.S. tech giant $25.4 million on November 18 over antitrust violations related to the messaging application’s 2021 privacy policy.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed a penalty of ₹213.14 crore (approximately USD 25.4 million) on Meta Platforms for abusing its dominant position through WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy

WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy had sparked controversy because it made users aware, for the first time, about the extent of meta data it actually collects.

Tech giants, including Apple and Meta, face new regulatory challenges with India’s proposed EU-like antitrust law. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Meta Platforms said on Tuesday it plans to appeal an order by India's competition watchdog that restricts the U.S. tech firm from sharing data for advertising between WhatsApp and its other applications and also imposed a $25.