Meta has been fined Rs 213.14 crore by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for abusing its dominant position in relation to WhatsApp"s privacy policy update in 2021.

The CCI"s decision, announced on November 18, includes orders to cease and desist from sharing user data collected on WhatsApp with other Meta products or companies for advertising purposes for a period of five years.

This ruling is a significant setback for Meta in India, its largest market, where it has a user base of over one billion people. WhatsApp alone has more than 500 million monthly active users in the country, highlighting the potential impact of the CCI"s directives on Meta"s operations and advertising strategies in the region.