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The Competition Act supplements data protection regulations by placing heightened responsibilities on dominant firms and there is no inherent conflict or repugnancy between the two laws, according to fair trade watchdog CCI. Besides, the regulator has said a broader view of the concept of user data is crucial in analysing data-related competition concerns in digital markets. The observations are part of the Competition Commission of India's 156-page order imposing a Rs 213.14 crore penalty on social media major Meta for unfair business ways with respect to WhatsApp privacy policy update done in 2021. Elucidating about user data in digital markets, CCI said data-related practices might violate data protection laws but they can also be seen as the imposition of unfair terms under competition law. "This overlap creates a point of intersection between data protection and competition law, with each addressing different aspects of harm. Further, while data protection laws primarily focus
The Delhi High Court has held that WhatsApp's 2021 privacy policy places its users in a take it or leave it situation, virtually forcing them into an agreement by providing a mirage of choices and then sharing their sensitive data with its parent company Facebook. The high court's verdict came while dismissing the appeals of WhatsApp and Facebook against an order rejecting their challenge to a probe ordered by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) into the instant messaging platform's updated privacy policy of 2021. A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad said the single judge's April 22, 2021 order was well-reasoned and the appeals are devoid of merit and substance that would warrant the interference of this court. While the judgement was pronounced by the division bench on Thursday, it was uploaded on the court's website on Friday. In April last year, a single judge of the high court had refused to interdict the investigation directed by