'We respect local laws, email communication lacked precision', says Meta
Storyboard18 had first broken the story on Meta’s plan to change its policy around gambling and alcohol in India, LATAM and APAC.
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On Thursday, Meta released a statement claiming that they respect laws and certain business messaging will not be allowed in certain countries including India. The big tech firm claimed that a recent email communication about its policies "lacked precision". Storyboard18 had first broken the story on Meta’s plan to change its policy around gambling and alcohol in India, LATAM and APAC.
The email conversation in reference read, “We are excited to announce that starting August 27, 2024, businesses in India, APAC, and LATAM can onboard the WhatsApp platform for messaging in the following verticals: a) Alcohol b) Over-the-counter products (prescription drugs and medical devices are still prohibited) c) Real Money Gambling.”
The email further states, “Meta’s updated policy now permits these verticals for both promotional/marketing and utility use cases, although WhatsApp Commerce restrictions will still apply.”
Responding to questions sent by Storyboard18, a Meta spokesperson said, "When we set business policies for our service, we respect local laws, and therefore certain business messaging or other types of communication are not going to be allowed in certain countries, including India. The referenced communication lacked that precision that is reflected in our formal policies and documents."
Sources claimed that the new set of policy will be released in the next couple of days with a detailed mention of which countries would be allowed to promote alcohol, gambling and OTC drugs with detailed descriptions.
However, in a recent development, Kerala Police sent a notice to Google and Meta over apps and ads that are linked to gambling websites and apps. The victims of the scam received messages from gambling operators on WhatsApp.
Kerala Police has asked Google to remove 60 fake lottery and gambling apps from its Google Play Store. A similar notice has been sent to Meta to remove advertisements of such fake lotteries and gambling platforms from social media platforms such as Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram managed by it.
