Policy Wrap: New Telecom Consumers Protection Regulation Introduced; Alphabet facing new antitrust trials; Meta fined in Europe; 18 OTT platforms blocked in 2024
Telecom Consumers Protection Regulation Introduced
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued the Telecom Consumers Protection (Twelfth Amendment) Regulations, 2024 and the Telecommunication Tariff (Seventieth Amendment) Order, 2024, available on TRAI's website. These amendments follow a consultation paper released on July 26, 2024, and an Open House Discussion held on October 21, 2024. The salient features of the regulations are:
To mandate separate Special Tariff Voucher (STV) for Voice & SMS to give consumers an option to pay for the services they require in general and to provide benefit to certain segments of consumers especially the elderly persons and those living in rural areas;
the cap on validity period for STV and Combo Vouchers (CV) has been increased from existing ninety (90) days to three hundred and sixty-five (365) days for the benefit of consumers;
Colour coding of vouchers as it exists in the physical form has been done away with in view of the prominence of online re-charges;
The reserving of denomination of ₹10/- and multiple thereof only for top-up voucher has been done away with, while retaining mandate of at least one Top Up voucher of denomination of ₹10/- provided by TTO (50th amendment) Order 2012.
The move is expected to help around 150 million 2G users and those who have two SIM cards, with one being kept exclusively for voice calls and SMS.
Google offers to loosen search deals in US antitrust case remedy
Google proposed loosening its agreements with Apple and other partners to address a U.S. ruling that found it unlawfully dominates online search. The proposal suggests making its distribution agreements non-exclusive and, for Android manufacturers, unbundling the Google Play Store from Chrome and search. Google also proposed allowing browser developers that set its search engine as the default to reconsider that choice annually. The company argued that these measures are a balanced alternative to the government's more drastic suggestion of forcing Google to sell its Chrome browser, which it claims could stifle innovation in a rapidly evolving AI-driven market.
Japan’s antitrust watchdog to find Google violated law in search case, Nikkei reports
Japan's competition watchdog, the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), is set to find Google guilty of violating antitrust laws, potentially issuing a cease-and-desist order to stop its monopolistic practices in web search services. The investigation, launched last October, follows similar antitrust actions in Europe and other regions concerning Google's market power, particularly its role in advertising through the widely used Chrome browser. This development adds to the growing global scrutiny of Google's practices, with the U.S. Department of Justice advocating for Google to divest Chrome.
EU privacy regulator fines Meta 251 million euros for 2018 breach
The European Union's Data Protection Commission (DPC) fined Meta €251 million ($263.5 million) for a 2018 Facebook security breach that exposed 29 million users' data by exploiting a vulnerability in the "View As" feature. The DPC, based in Ireland, oversees compliance for major U.S. tech firms operating in the EU under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Meta, which has faced nearly €3 billion in GDPR fines, including a record €1.2 billion fine in 2023 currently under appeal, announced plans to appeal this latest decision as well. The company stated it promptly addressed the issue, informed affected users and the DPC, and has implemented extensive measures to enhance platform security.
Polish e-commerce Allegro's unit sues Alphabet
Ceneo, a subsidiary of Polish e-commerce platform Allegro, filed a lawsuit against Google and its parent company Alphabet seeking 2.33 billion zlotys ($567.6 million) in damages, alleging losses from Google prioritizing its own price comparison service in search results. Ceneo claims these practices harmed its business and are tied to the $2.7 billion EU antitrust fine imposed on Google for leveraging its dominant search engine position to disadvantage smaller European rivals. The damages sought include 1.72 billion zlotys for losses, 615 million zlotys in interest payments from 2013 to 2024, and statutory interest from the filing date until payment. Google has disputed the claims, highlighting its long-standing support for shopping services across Europe.
18 OTT platforms blocked in 2024
The Indian government has blocked 18 over-the-top (OTT) platforms due to their involvement in hosting and distributing obscene, vulgar, and pornographic content, as per the provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, L. Murugan, announced this action in Parliament, emphasizing the government’s zero-tolerance approach toward such material. The Rules also provide for a Code of Ethics for publishers of news and current affairs on digital media and publishers of online curated content (OTT platforms).