India’s Chief Justice issued a sharp rebuke to Meta on February 3, 2026, demanding strict compliance with national privacy laws or face exit from the market. The warning targets WhatsApp’s data-sharing practices, vowing no tolerance for compromising user data.
Supreme Court Stance
Chief Justice Surya emphasized, “You can’t play with the privacy of our country… we will not allow you to share a single digit of our data,” underscoring India’s firm data sovereignty amid ongoing CCI disputes. This stems from WhatsApp’s 2021 policy, ruled abusive by CCI with a ₹213 crore fine upheld by NCLAT, now challenged in Supreme Court.
Policy Dispute Details
Broader Implications
Meta faces intensified scrutiny as India’s largest WhatsApp market, with CJI’s ultimatum signaling potential operational curbs if unresolved. This escalates from 2024 CCI probe into dominance abuse via “take-it-or-leave-it” terms.
