J&K unlikely to see normalcy: Owaisi
Hyderabad, June 19: The BJP's decision to pull out of the PDP-led Jammu and Kashmir government and the expected imposition of Governor's rule won't bring normalcy in the state, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said on Tuesday.
"There will not be normalcy after Governor's rule is imposed... There will be further repression. The BJP's actual agenda is to scrap Article 370. No Kashmiri will approve of it," Owaisi told reporters here.
He said he had no sympathies for Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who resigned after the BJP's announcement, and he saw no political future for her and the Peoples Democratic Party in the Kashmir Valley.
Owaisi alleged that the BJP took the decision to pull out after it realized that it is losing ground in Jammu. Arguing that the BJP could not run away from the responsibility as it was sharing power and had a Deputy Chief Minister and ministers, he said BJP was more responsible than PDP for the situation in the state as it failed to deliver, failed to provide governance, stop terror attacks on Army camps and check cross-border terrorism.
He also said that the BJP, as a partner in the government, made no serious attempt for a dialogue and no step was taken to fulfil the promises made in the agenda of the alliance.
Owaisi said BJP's main aim was to repeal Article 370. "The assassination of Shujaat Bukhari (Editor of Rising Kashmir newspaper) was a monumental tragedy and unfortunately it is being used and exploited to fulfil a policy which was started two years ago," he said.
Recalling that both BJP and PDP had termed formation of the coalition government a meeting of North and South Poles, he said: "The people of the country want to know what happened to the so-called meeting..."
Claiming that the ceasefire (of Ramadan) had resulted in the beginning of political activity on the ground, Owaisi said the BJP owes an explanation to the nation why it announced a ceasefire in a hurry and why it did not extend it.
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CCI slaps Meta with Rs 213 crore fine over WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy update
New Delhi, Nov 18: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Monday imposed a penalty of Rs 213.14 crore on social media major Meta for unfair business ways with respect to WhatsApp privacy policy update done in 2021.
Besides, the competition watchdog has directed Meta to “cease and desist” from anti-competitive practices.
Meta and WhatsApp have also been asked to implement certain behavioural remedies within a defined timeline to address the anti-competition issues, according to a CCI order.
The regulator has called for implementing various remedial measures, including barring WhatsApp from sharing data collected on its platform with other Meta companies or Meta company products for advertising purposes for five years.
Among other directions, CCI has said that sharing of user data collected on WhatsApp with other Meta companies or Meta company products for purposes other than for providing WhatsApp services shall not be made a condition for users to access WhatsApp Service in India.
The Competition Commission of India (Commission) on Monday imposed a penalty of Rs 213.14 crore on Meta for abusing its dominant position,
Passing the order against abuse of dominance, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said this (penalty) relates to how WhatsApp's 2021 Privacy Policy was implemented and how user data was collected and shared with other Meta companies.
For the case, CCI delineated two relevant markets -- OTT messaging apps through smartphones in India, and online display advertising in India. "Meta Group operating through WhatsApp was found to be dominant in the market for OTT messaging apps through smartphones in India. "Furthermore, it was also found that Meta holds a leading position compared to its competitors in online display advertising in India," CCI said in a release.
Starting from January 2021, WhatsApp notified users about updates to its terms of service and privacy policies.
The in-app notification, effective from February 8, 2021, stated that users were required to accept these terms, including expanded scope of data collection as well as mandatory data sharing with Meta companies, to continue using WhatsApp.
Under the previous privacy policy dated August 25, 2016, WhatsApp users were given the option to decide whether they wanted to share their data with Facebook, the release said.
"However, with the latest policy update in 2021, WhatsApp made data sharing with Meta mandatory for all users, removing the earlier option to opt-out. As a result, users had to accept the new terms, which include data sharing with Meta, in order to continue using the platform," it added.
The watchdog has concluded that the 2021 policy update by WhatsApp on a "take-it-or-leave-it" basis constitutes an imposition of unfair condition under the Competition Act, as it compels all users to accept expanded data collection terms and sharing of data within Meta Group without any opt out.
"Given the network effects and lack of effective alternatives, the 2021 update forces users to comply, undermining their autonomy, and constitutes an abuse of Meta's dominant position. Accordingly, the Commission finds that Meta (through WhatsApp) has contravened Section 4(2)(a)(i) of the Act," it said.
Further, CCI said that sharing of WhatsApp users' data between Meta companies for purposes other than providing WhatsApp Service creates an entry barrier for the rivals of Meta and thus, results in denial of market access in the display advertisement market.
According to the regulator, Meta has engaged in leveraging its dominant position in the OTT messaging apps through smartphones to protect its position in the online display advertising market in contravention of the competition law.
CCI has barred WhatsApp from sharing data collected on its platform with other Meta companies or Meta company products for advertising purposes for five years and the debarment period will start from the date of receipt of this order.
With respect to sharing of WhatsApp user data for purposes other than advertising, the regulator said WhatsApp's policy should include a detailed explanation of the user data shared with other Meta companies or Meta company Products.
"This explanation should specify the purpose of data sharing, linking each type of data to its corresponding purpose," it said.
The watchdog also said that sharing of user data collected on WhatsApp with other Meta companies or Meta company products for purposes other than for providing WhatsApp services shall not be made a condition for users to access WhatsApp Service in India.
Regarding sharing of WhatsApp user data for purposes other than for providing WhatsApp services, CCI said all users in India (including users who have accepted 2021 update) will be provided with the choice to manage such data sharing by way of an opt-out option prominently through an in-app notification.
Also, the regulator has asked for the option to review and modify their choice with respect to such sharing of data through a prominent tab in settings of WhatsApp application, and all future policy updates should comply with these requirements.
