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India Fines Flipkart, Meta and Amazon Over Illegal Walkie-Talkie Listings

The regulator said missing frequency and certification disclosures created national-security exposure.

Overview

  • CCPA issued orders on January 1 and 14 imposing Rs 10 lakh penalties, with Flipkart and Facebook Marketplace among eight entities fined and total penalties reaching Rs 44 lakh.
  • Platforms listed or advertised personal mobile radios without disclosing frequency bands, licensing requirements or ETA/WPC certification, which the authority ruled were misleading ads and unfair trade practices.
  • Flipkart’s own data showed 108,206 units sold between January 2023 and May 2025, including 65,931 units without compliant frequency disclosure or using non‑exempt bands.
  • E-commerce entities must conduct periodic self‑audits, publish audit certificates, strengthen pre‑listing checks and ensure swift removal of unauthorised radio equipment, as intermediary safe‑harbour claims were rejected.
  • Only devices in the 446.0–446.2 MHz band are licence‑exempt under rules, and Facebook Marketplace saw repeated relistings despite takedowns, with 710 listings removed after CCPA intervention.