CCI Withdraws Flipkart Probe Due to Leaked Sensitive Information
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has withdrawn its probe report on Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart. The reason cited was the inclusion of sensitive information. Chinese smartphone major in India, Xiaomi, raised objections stating that the probe report leaked commercially confidential data that should have been kept private. Reuters first reported the complaint by Xiaomi in September, which led to the withdrawal now.
Xiaomi Objection: Sale Data in Jeopardy
That made them claim the model-wise sales figures of the company is any brand's highly sensitive information. And so after that, it asked the receivers of this report to destroy all its copies and file a formal assurance not to further disseminate any part of that information again. This was in pursuance with what the CCI had done against Apple in the case similar to this when an investigation report was withdrawn not much long ago after some commercial secrets leaked through it.
"Unintended Disclosure" Forces Withdrawal of Document
The CCI accepted that some confidential information was "inadvertently" available in the Flipkart report. A revised version of the report was sent to the concerned parties, and changes in content are yet to be disclosed. It reflects greater sensitivity on part of the watchdog towards secrecy during big-ticket investigations by prominent technology companies.
Background: An Elaborate Probe Into Online Market Practices
The investigation into Flipkart's operations started in 2020 and covered the policies of the e-commerce company as well as its biggest rival, Amazon. An investigation by the CCI revealed the favoritism shown to specific sellers and special product launches with leading smartphone manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Samsung, and Vivo. Flipkart and Amazon were held liable for interfering with the availability and discoverability of products in ways that favored specific sellers, an anticompetitive behavior.
Court cases halt progress of investigation
Much of the process will still be stalled even with an investigation as long as Vivo and some other sellers flipkart and Amazon had the courts issue injunctions about their participation in the proceeding, which stops further traction. Until these legal holds are lifted, antitrust investigations will likely continue seeing delays.
Corporate Secrecy as Sought by CCI
The recent moves by CCI reveal that the watchdog is playing a balancing act between the transparency it must provide for its investigations and the protection of corporate confidentiality. With Xiaomi and Apple raising concerns over data privacy, the watchdog appears to be reviewing its procedures in an effort to avoid any further breaches of sensitive information.
Inputs by Agencies
Image Source: Multiple Agencies
Ⓒ Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved Powered by Vygr Media.
