EVALUATING THE COMPETITIVE EFFECTS OF INDIA'S DATA PROTECTION BILL: A BALANCE BETWEEN PRIVACY AND COMPETITION

* PhD Scholar, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi

[2] Simran Dhir and Anuja Agrawal, India: Data Protection And Competition Law: Developments And The Way Forward, August 24, 2021, available at: https://www.mondaq.com/india/antitrust-eu-competition-/1104738/data-protection-and-competition-law-developments-and-the-way-forward (last visited on 5th August 2023)

[3] Ashwini Vaishnaw, ETtech Interview on Data Bill to make social media firms accountable, Aug 10, 2023, available at:https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/newsletters/morning-dispatch/exclusive-new-law-on-digital-competition-likely-to-regulate-big-tech-it-minister-ashwini-vaishnaw-on-data-protection-bill/articleshow/102588582.cms?from=mdr  (last visited on 9th August 2023)

[4] Priyansh Dixit and Sukarm Sharma, Balancing Privacy and Competition: Evaluating the Competitive Effects of India’s Data Protection Bill, Statute Law Review, Volume 44, Issue 2, August 2023, available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/slr/hmad004 ( last visited on 9th August, 2023)

[5] AIR 2017 SC 4161

[6] Section 43A of the IT Act as per the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008

[7] Section 72A of the IT Act as per the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008

[8] See the Office Memorandum dated July 31, 2017 issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology,  re: Constitution of a Committee of Experts to deliberate on a data protection framework for India, available at: https://www.meity.gov.in/writereaddata/files/MeitY_constitution_Expert_Committee_31.07.2017.pdf (last visited on August 10, 2023)

[9] The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, Section 3(28). Available at: https://prsindia.org/billtrack/the-personal-data-protection-bill-2019 (last visited on August 10, 2023)

[10] In December 2020, it was revised later on.

[11] Anurag Vaishnav, The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019: All you need to know, December 23, 2019, available at: https://www.prsindia.org/theprsblog/personal-data-protection-bill-2019-all-you-need-know (last visited on August 5, 2023)

[12] See Appendix 2: Data - Trends and Socio-Economic Impact, on page 41, Report by the Committee of Experts on Non-Personal Data Governance Framework, MEITY, Government of India on December 16, 2020, available at: https://static.mygov.in/rest/s3fs-public/mygov_160922880751553221.pdf (last visited on August 5, 2023)

[13] Rachit Sharma, Decoding Digital Personal Data Protection Bill (DPDP): A Comprehensive Overview, August 10, 2023, available at: https://www.taxmann.com/research/company-and-sebi/top-story/222330000000022456/decoding-digital-personal-data-protection-bill-dpdp-a-comprehensive-overview-news (last visited on August 10, 2023)

[14] The Competition Act, 2002, Section 3- Anti-competitive agreements.

[15] The Competition Act, 2002, Section 4- Abuse of dominant position.

[16] The Competition Act, 2002, Section 5 & 6- Regulation of Combinations

[17] Competition Commission of India, Report on Market Study on the Telecom Sector in India: Key Findings and Observations on  January 22, 2021, available at: http://cci.gov.in/sites/default/files/whats_newdocument/Market-Study-on-the-Telecom-Sector-In-India.pdf  (last visited on August 11, 2023)

[18] Competition Commission of India, Report on Market Study on E-Commerce in India: Key Findings and Observations, on January 2020, available at: https://www.cci.gov.in/sites/default/files/whats_newdocument/Market-study-on-e-Commerce-in-India.pdf (last visited on August 11, 2023)

[19] Competition Commission of India, The workshop on Competition Issues in the Telecom Sector in India on February 2021, available at: http://cci.gov.in/sites/default/files/whats_newdocument/Proceedings-Telecom-Workshop.pdf (last visited on August 11, 2023)

[20] Competition Commission of India’s order stated under Section 26(1) of the Competition Act in In the Re: Updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for WhatsApp Users, (Case No. 01 of 2021), on 24 March 2021,  available at: https://www.cci.gov.in/sites/default/files/SM01of2021_0.pdf (last visited on August 11, 2023)

[21] Harshita Chawla v. WhatsApp Inc. and Facebook Inc. CCI's orders under Section 26(2) of the Competition Act, Case No. 15 of 2020, on August 18, 2020, available at: https://www.cci.gov.in/sites/default/files/15-of-2020.pdf (last visited on August 12, 2023)

[22]Case No. 99 of 2016, on June 1, 2017 as available at: https://www.cci.gov.in/sites/default/files/26%282%29%20Order%20in%20Case%20No.%2099%20of%202016.pdf (last visited on August 11, 2023)

[23] The Competition Act, 2002, Section 31(1), CCI’s orders in Facebook & Jio, Combination Registration No. C-2020/06/747, on June 24, 2020, available at: https://www.cci.gov.in/sites/default/files/Notice_order_document/order-747.pdf  and Google/ Jio, Combination Registration No. C-2020/09/775, on November 11, 2020, available at: https://www.cci.gov.in/sites/default/files/Notice_order_document/Order775.pdf (last visited on August 11, 2023)

[24] The Competition Act, 2002, Section 33, Interim order given in Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) & Anr. v. MakeMyTrip India Pvt. Ltd. (MMT), available at: https://www.cci.gov.in/sites/default/files/Interim_Order_14-of-2019and01-of-2020.pdf  (last visited on August 11, 2023)

[25] Ibid.

[26] The Competition Act, 2002, Section 26(1), In Re: Updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for WhatsApp Users, Suo Moto Case No. 01 of 2021, on March 24, 2021, available at: https://www.cci.gov.in/sites/default/files/SM01of2021_0.pdf ( last visited on August 12, 2023)

[27] The Competition Act, 2002, Section 27, Matrimony.com Limited v. Google LLC. & Ors. and Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) v. Google LLC. & Ors., Case Nos. 07 & 30 of 2012, on February 8, 2018, available at: https://www.cci.gov.in/sites/default/files/07%20%26%20%2030%20of%202012.pdf (last visited on August 12, 2023)

[28] The Competition Act, 2002, Section 26(1), XYZ v. Alphabet Inc. & Ors. (Case No. 07 of 2020), on November 9, 2020, available at: https://www.cci.gov.in/sites/default/files/07-of-2020.pdf> (last visited on August 12, 2023)

[29] Notification on February 25, 2021 available at: https://www.meity.gov.in/writereaddata/files/Gazette%20Significant%20social%20media%20threshold.pdf (last visited on August 13, 2023)

[30] Abir Roy and Aman Shankar, August 10, 2023, available at: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/legal/new-data-protection-bill-encompasses-antitrust-provisions-redefines-consent-in-digital-economy-11147731.html# (last visited on August 13, 2023)

[31] CJEU - C-252/21,available at: https://gdprhub.eu/index.php?title=CJEU_-_C-252/21_-_Meta_Platforms_and_Others_v_Bundeskartellamt (last visited on August 13, 2023)

[32] Beatriz Kira, Regulating digital ecosystems: bridging the gap between competition policy and data protection, Industrial and Corporate Change, Volume 30, Issue 5, October 2021, Pages 1337–1360. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/icc/dtab053 (last visited on August 14, 2023)