![[FILE] A photo illustration shows the logo of social media messaging application Whatsapp on a computer and a mobile telephone screen, in Paris, , 27 January 2021. EFE-EPA/FILE/IAN LANGSDON](https://i0.wp.com/efe.diariosergipano.net/wp-content/s/2025/01/rss-efe4cf5294e734da73ef548e0438ce79c038dda2aecw.jpg?fit=1920%2C1211&ssl=1)
New Delhi, Jan 23 (EFE).– An Indian appellate court has temporarily lifted a five-year ban that prevented WhatsApp from sharing data with its parent company, Meta, and d applications.
The ban was originally imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for alleged antitrust violations, media reports said.
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) issued the stay, granting interim relief to Meta as it challenges the CCI’s November ruling.
Lawyers for WhatsApp and Meta argued that the ban jeopardizes the sustainability of the messaging platform’s business model.
Since a 2021 update, WhatsApp s must accept data sharing with Meta to access the service.
“The five-year ban may lead to a collapse” of WhatsApp’s business model, the tribunal said, according to the Indian legal news outlet Bar & Bench.
The CCI contends that WhatsApp’s “take it or leave it” policy unfairly exploits its dominant position in India’s mobile messaging and online advertising markets.
The antitrust body argued that the policy imposed undue restrictions on choice, violating Indian competition law.
Beyond the data-sharing prohibition, the CCI had fined Meta over 213 million rupees (approximately $2.5 million) for abusing its dominance in the online advertising sector.
In a related case last April, WhatsApp had threatened to cease operations in India if compelled by judicial authorities to weaken its end-to-end encryption system to comply with government demands for identification. EFE
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