Meta fined $25.4M for WhatsApp privacy policy abuse

Meta has been fined around INR 214 crore ($25.4 million) by the antitrust regulator in India because of its abuse of market dominance through the 2021 Whatsapp privacy policy. The announcement brings to the surface the fact that users were compelled to share their data on Meta platforms. This resulted to business and advertising goals being prioritised more than consumer privacy. 

Several users left Whatsappp, shifting to competitor platforms which led to regulatory investigation. The decision is a constitutent of the wider clampdown on the monopolistic practices of big tech firms as well as control over data. Regulators intend to make certain the protection of the rights of the consumers along with ensuring fair competition. 

The move represents the rising cases of regulatory measures taken against big tech giant to combat unfair competition, abuse of power and data privacy breach.

Also Read: South Korea slaps Meta with $15M fine for unauthorized data collection