Beyond Privacy: Framing Coercive Data Collection As Antitrust Harm In CCI V. Meta Platforms

Rishab Ramakrishna, O.P. Jindal Global University ABSTRACT This paper analyses the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) investigation into Meta Platforms Inc and the subsequent 2025 ruling of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) arising from WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy update. Meta argued that the CCI lacked jurisdiction, contending that data-sharing conduct falls exclusively within data protection legislation. This paper rejects that argument and contends that the...