Delhi HC dismisses Whatsapp, Meta appeals against CCI investigation

Regulator says social media network's user policies are opaque and not based on consent

In a setback to WhatsApp and Facebook (now Meta), the Delhi High Court (HC) on Thursday rejected their appeal seeking a stay on the Competition Commission of India (CCI) probe into the messaging platform’s updated privacy policy of 2021.

The verdict has cleared the decks for the regulator to further the probe and reach finality in the case it initiated in March 2021 against WhatsApp for alleged abuse of dominance. The regulator viewed the data-sharing policy exploitative and could have an exclusionary effect. 

The HC on Thursday ruled that appeals are “devoid of merits”, a Bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma