Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho face CCPA heat for illegal walkie-talkie sales in India | Tech News

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India’s Central Consumer Protection Authority has sent notices to 13 e-commerce platforms, including Amazon and Flipkart, for allowing sale of walkie-talkies without proper licensing and legal disclosures. The govt plans to introduce strict new guidelines to stop illegal wireless device listings online.

CCPA issues notices to Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho over illegal walkie-talkie device sales in India*

New Delhi: In the middle of rising border tensions and heightened digital chatter, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has quietly stepped up enforcement on an overlooked threat — the unchecked sale of wireless devices like walkie-talkies on major online platforms.

On May 9, the CCPA sent notices to thirteen e-commerce platforms, including Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, OLX, TradeIndia, Facebook, Jiomart and others, for listing walkie-talkies without disclosing if they needed a license to operate or whether they were cleared by India’s wireless regulators. This follows a broader move by Indian authorities to tighten control on equipment that could be misused during conflict or cause disruption.

Why the CCPA acted now

The watchdog flagged hundreds of listings, 467 on Amazon, 314 on Flipkart, 489 on Meesho, and 423 on TradeIndia, for selling wireless devices without disclosing basic things like operating frequencies or whether they were approved by the Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) Wing.

Walkie-talkies use specific radio frequencies, and not all of them are legal for public use. Under the Indian Telegraph Act and related laws, using the wrong frequency, even by mistake, could mean legal trouble. But the listings made it look like anyone could buy and use them freely, which misleads customers.

The CCPA now wants full details from these platforms: seller names, contact info, product URLs, frequency specs, and how many devices were sold since January 2023.

New guidelines coming soon

A draft guideline titled “Prevention and Regulation of Illegal Sale and Use of Licensed Frequency Range Wireless Telegraphy Apparatus on E-Commerce Platforms, 2025” will soon be posted for public feedback. It will likely include things like mandatory seller verification, takedown systems, and clear disclosures for consumers.

The meeting chaired by Secretary Nidhi Khare on May 3 included top platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, Indiamart, and Meta. They were told to monitor listings proactively and remove any that violate laws.

Earlier, the CCPA had removed over 13,000 listings for car seat belt alarm stoppers, also flagged by the Road Transport Ministry.

Siddharth Shankar brings over a decade of experience in the realm of journalism, film making, and marketing, currently heading the Technology, Science, Gaming, and Automobile sections. He blends his expertise and passion to bring forth cutting-edge stories that resonate with a dynamic audience. Siddharth co-founded BWAutoworld.com for BW Businessworld and was leading Science and Technology domains for TimesNow Digital. For leads Siddharth can be reached on Twitter – @Siddh4rth

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