Global tech companies Meta and WhatsApp told the Supreme Court on Monday that they will comply with the NCLAT’s directives on sharing data related to advertising and privacy guidelines of the Competition Commission of India (CCI). A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi was hearing the tech companies’ appeals against the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal’s (NCLAT) directives passed in December last year. Following the CJI’s strictures, WhatsApp and Meta accepted the CCI’s orders. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal assured that all privacy policy provisions would be implemented by March 16, 2026. The company withdrew its interim application against the NCLAT order in this regard. The court dismissed the application. Users will now be given the option to share data with advertising companies. The CCI’s appeal is still pending in the Supreme Court. The Commission is seeking to reinstate the five-year data-sharing ban lifted by the NCLAT. The CCI states that this matter involves not only privacy but also serious competition law issues. The companies will also be required to file a compliance affidavit with the CCI. During the hearing, the court also dismissed an intervention application filed by an individual as a consumer. The court stated that the dispute is between the CCI and the companies and that the applicant may pursue other remedies under the law. A final decision on the validity of the 2021 privacy policy is pending. The CCI had banned data sharing and imposed a fine of ₹213 crore. On November 4, 2025, the NCLAT quashed the CCI’s data-sharing order. The order had banned instant-messaging apps from sharing data with other platforms for advertising purposes for five years. However, the fine of ₹213 crore imposed on the social media platform was upheld. Later, the tribunal clarified that its order in the WhatsApp case on privacy and consent safeguards also applies to user data collection and sharing for non-WhatsApp purposes. Last hearing… January 3, 2026: Supreme Court tells Meta and WhatsApp to obey the law or leave India. The Supreme Court on Tuesday strongly reprimanded Meta and WhatsApp for their privacy policies. The court stated, “We will not allow you to share even a single piece of information.” CJI Surya Kant stated that people’s right to privacy is strictly protected in the country. The court stated that the privacy terms in these apps are so cleverly written that the common man cannot understand them. This is a clever way to steal people’s personal information. The court stated, “We will not allow you to do this. You must clearly assure us of this, otherwise the court will have to issue an order.” Read the full story… ————- Read this news too… Bhaskar Explainer – Will WhatsApp not work in India: Supreme Court warns about privacy; what is the matter of selling user data secretly? In India, with a population of 1.4 billion, the social messaging app WhatsApp has more than 850 million users. Now the Supreme Court has warned WhatsApp to leave India. The reason is ads, user data and privacy. Read the full story…
