After Google, Meta loses public policy head in India

Core Insights - Shivnath Thukral, Meta's head of public policy in India, is leaving the company after nearly three and a half years, following a similar departure at Google [1][7] - Thukral's exit comes after Meta secured relief in India regarding WhatsApp's 2021 data-sharing policy, which had previously led to a five-year ban by the antitrust regulator [3] - Meta continues to face regulatory challenges in India, including anticipated data privacy rules that may require parental consent for serving children [4] Group 1: Thukral's Departure - Thukral expressed confidence in the team's ability to continue their work, stating it was a good time for the team to operate independently [2][6] - Meta has not yet appointed a replacement for Thukral, indicating a transitional phase in the company's public policy leadership [6] Group 2: Regulatory Environment - Meta, with over 500 million WhatsApp users in India, faces criticism from local telecom companies as many users prefer the app over traditional services [5] - The company is also under scrutiny for spam control on its platform, despite recent changes aimed at reducing unsolicited business communication [5] Group 3: Industry Context - Thukral's departure follows a trend in the tech industry, with Google's policy head also resigning amid ongoing antitrust cases in India [7] - Kevin Martin, Meta's VP of global policy, acknowledged Thukral's significant contributions to policy and regulatory discussions in India over the past 7.5 years [8]