CORP CONNECT (MARCH-APRIL, 2025)

Wringing Consent from Consumers: a Violation of Privacy and Consumer Rights

The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh, ruled against a coffee store for collecting and using customer’s mobile numbers without consent, citing unfair trade practiced and dark patterns. The court emphasized that mobile numbers are indicative of sensitive personal data like names, addresses, location and even bank account details including OTPs for financial transactions. Unauthorized access to such data without consent is a privacy breach, strictly governed by data protection laws.

Digital Data Access and Privacy in the Income Tax Bill, 2025

The Income Tax Bill, 2025 (hereinafter referred to as the “Bill”), introduced in the Lok Sabha on February 13, 2025 is a modern reform which seeks to replace the Income-Tax Act, 1961 (hereinafter referred to as the “IT Act”). The Bill retains most of the provisions of the act and primarily aims to simplify tax laws with clearer language and logical reorganization. However, the Bill has also stirred controversy by incorporating a section which allows authorities to gain access of a personal virtual digital space during search and seizure proceedings, raising concerns about privacy, rights of the data principals and overreach.

Employer-Employee Relationship in Indian Law

The concept of an employer-employee relationship lies at the heart of labour and employment law in India. Yet, in practice, its determination often triggers complex legal questions especially when services are rendered through third-party contractors. In a significant judgment delivered by the Supreme Court in The Joint Secretary, CBSE & Anr. v. Raj Kumar Mishra & Ors. (2025), the Court has re-emphasized the foundational legal tests that govern whether an individual qualifies as an employee under an organization and more crucially, what does not qualify.

BIS Certification Now Mandatory for 4 Metals

The Ministry of Mines, Government of India, has issued four new Quality Control Orders (QCOs) on April 17, 2025, under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016. These QCOs mandate the compulsory BIS certification and use of the Standard Mark for certain non-ferrous metal products being sold in the Indian market.

These measures are aimed at ensuring consistent product quality and safety and apply equally to domestic and foreign manufacturers. Exported goods are exempted.

The Impact of Data Protection Act on Meta vs. CCI Case

In January 2021, the Competition Commission of India (hereinafter referred to as “CCI”) took suo motu cognizance of certain media reports on WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy of 2021, which required users to accept new terms to retain their accounts and allowed data sharing with Meta and its subsidiaries without any option to opt-out. The CCI via order dated November 18, 2024 imposed a penalty of INR 213.14 crore on Meta for abusing its dominant position as the updated privacy policy, enforced on a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ basis, imposed unfair conditions on users, created entry barriers in display advertising and leveraged its dominance in messaging apps to secure online advertising, violating section 4 of Competition Act, 2002.

The above order has been appealed before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (hereinafter referred to as the “Tribunal”) by the Meta Group on the ground that CCI has exceeded its jurisdiction by ruling on the aspect of data protection and the same would fall under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (hereinafter referred to as “DPDP Act”). The tribunal has granted a limited interim relief to Meta by putting a stay on the 5-year ban imposed by CCI. Considering the awaited Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 would likely to be notified by mid-2025, the Tribunal has listed the matter for the month of May 2025.

Web Scraping and Personal Data: Legal and Ethical Boundaries in AI

During the 267^th Session of Parliament, Shri S. Niranjan Reddy, Member of Parliament from Andhra Pradesh highlighted concerns over web scraping of publicly available user data by social media companies for training Artificial Intelligence (AI) models. He questioned the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) regarding measures to regulate web scraping, ensure transparency and establish accountability. In response, Shri Jitin Prasada, Minister of State in Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology emphasized that Indian laws, including the Information Technology Act (hereinafter referred to as IT Act, 2000), its associated Rules and Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (hereinafter referred to as DPDP Act).

US Tariffs on Indian Goods: 2025 Impact Explained

On April 2, 2025, the US President Donald Trump, in second renewed presidential term, issued a sweeping Executive Order reintroducing “Reciprocal Tariffs”[1] — an aggressive trade move that has triggered ripples across global supply chains. India, among other significant U.S. trading partners, has found itself squarely in the crosshairs, with a fresh 26% ad valorem duty imposed on a large spectrum of its exports to the United States.

This article explores the legal context of these tariffs, their immediate impact on Indian businesses, and the broader implications for international trade.