The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Thursday (January 23) stayed the five-year ban imposed the Competition Commission of India (CCI) on data-sharing practices between WhatsApp and Meta for advertising purposes, offering a breather to the tech giant.
Meta welcomed the decision and said it would evaluate next steps.
“While we will evaluate next steps, our focus remains on finding a path forward that supports millions of businesses that depend on our platform for growth and innovation as well as providing high-quality experiences that people expect from WhatsApp,” said a Meta spokesperson, reported the Press Trust of India.
Back in November, the CCI had imposed a penalty of ₹213.14 crore on Meta “for unfair business ways” pertaining to the WhatsApp privacy policy update done in 2021.
The CCI had on November 18, 2024, directed Meta to cease and desist from anti-competitive practices.
In its 156-page order, CCI had said that Meta and WhatsApp have also been asked to implement certain behavioural remedies within a defined timeline to address the anti-competition issues.