CCPA issues 13 notices to e-commerce platforms for unauthorised sale of walkie-talkies

A walkie-talkie
| Photo Credit:
JOTHI RAMALINGAM B

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Friday said it has issued thirteen notices to leading e-commerce marketplaces against the unauthorised listing and sale of walkie-talkies on their platforms without the necessary disclosures. The Authority said these walkies-talkies were being sold without proper frequency disclosures, licensing information, or Equipment Type Approval (ETA) which is a violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

These platforms include Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, OLX, TradeIndia, Facebook, Indiamart, VardaanMart, Jiomart, Krishnamart, Chimiya, Talk Pro Walkie Talkie and MaskMan toys.

“Walkie-talkies are being sold on e-commerce platforms without mandatory and clear disclosures regarding the requirement of a wireless operating license or compliance with applicable laws. The product listings for walkie-talkies do not specify whether the device requires a license from the concerned authority for use,” the Authority said in a statement.

Licensing obligations

It noted that this was violation of licensing obligations under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, or the Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933, and the Use of Low Power, Very Low Power Short Range Radio Frequency Devices (Exemption from Licensing Requirement) Rules, 2018.

“The sale of non-compliant wireless devices in the absence of essential regulatory disclosures misleads consumers and represents a serious breach of statutory obligations,” it noted.

“A preliminary analysis revealed an alarming volume of such listings across these platforms, including approximately 467 listings on Amazon, 314 on Flipkart, 489 on Meesho, and 423 on TradeIndia, indicating the widespread scale of the issue,” the Authority stated. It has sought information regarding each of the sellers and their products and the number of units sold per listing from January 2023 to date.

In the wake of the rampant non-adherence to existing legal provisions by e-commerce entities, the CCPA will also be notifying specific guidelines to ensure compliance with the law and safeguard consumer interests. A letter in this regard has been written to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Telecommunications to seek their valuable inputs. These draft guidelines aim to ensure due diligence by platforms before listing such products, mandate verification of seller credentials and introduce automated monitoring and takedown mechanisms for unauthorized listings, among others.

Published on May 9, 2025