Regulators
Supreme Court to hear Meta-Whatsapp CCI penalty appeals
Rs 213 crore fine challenged over 2021 privacy policy, bench led by CJI Surya Kant takes up matter on 23 February 2026.
MUMBAI: Meta and Whatsapp are about to face the music in court because when privacy policies play loose, even billion-dollar apps can get a stern privacy lecture from the bench. The Supreme Court is set to dive into the high-stakes appeals filed by Meta Platforms and Whatsapp against a Competition Commission of India (CCI) order slapping them with a Rs 213.14 crore penalty. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, alongside Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, is expected to hear the matter, with an interim order likely on 23 February 2026.
The penalty stems from Whatsapp’s controversial 2021 privacy policy update, which expanded data-sharing with parent company Meta for commercial use sparking concerns over market dominance, user consent, and misuse of personal information. In earlier hearings on 3 February, the bench didn’t mince words: it questioned whether the companies were compromising citizens’ privacy rights under the guise of data practices, called many users “silent customers” digitally dependent and often unaware of how their data is leveraged, and made clear that constitutional privacy protections won’t be diluted.
The saga took a turn in November 2025 when the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) set aside part of the CCI order banning WhatsApp from sharing user data with Meta for advertising for five years. However, NCLAT upheld the Rs 213 crore fine and later clarified the ruling allowed data collection and sharing for both advertising and non-advertising purposes beyond WhatsApp’s core service. The CCI has filed a cross-appeal challenging that part of the NCLAT decision.
The Supreme Court has directed the ministry of electronics and information technology be impleaded as a party, signalling the case’s broader implications for digital regulation. With the appeals now before the top court, the proceedings sit at the tense crossroads of competition law, data privacy, and platform accountability in India’s fast-growing digital economy.
Whether the bench reins in cross-app data flows or upholds the status quo, this showdown could redraw the rules for how tech giants handle user information proving that in the privacy game, even the biggest players can’t always message their way out of a tough spot.
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati sets EPG standards for DD Free Dish platform
New specs define 7-day guide, LCN mapping, and device compatibility.
MUMBAI: Your TV guide just got a backstage pass structured, scheduled, and far more in sync. Prasar Bharati has released detailed technical specifications for Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services on DD Free Dish, laying down a standardised framework for how channels and programme information are organised and delivered. At the core of the update is a defined EPG data structure, covering genre-based categorisation, scheduling formats, and Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). The aim is simple: make navigation less guesswork and more guided experience across the platform’s over 40 million households.
The specifications also introduce a seven-day programme guide window for each channel, alongside clear rules for channel grouping and LCN mapping effectively deciding not just what you watch, but how easily you find it.
On the technical front, the document outlines requirements for Program Specific Information (PSI) and Service Information (SI), including descriptor usage across tables such as PAT, BAT and NIT. It further details service lists and network linkage parameters, giving OEMs and developers a clearer blueprint for integration.
Importantly, the framework is designed to work seamlessly with television sets equipped with in-built satellite tuners, enabling users to access DD Free Dish directly without additional hardware, an incremental but meaningful step towards simplifying access.
The platform will continue to operate on GSAT-15 transponders, using MPEG-4 compression and DVB-S2 transmission standards, ensuring continuity even as the interface evolves.
While largely technical, the move signals a broader push towards standardisation and user-friendly discovery in India’s free-to-air ecosystem because sometimes, the real upgrade isn’t what’s on screen, but how easily you get there.
