CCPA issues notices over illegal walkie-talkie sales on e-commerce sites

CCPA flags sale of walkie-talkies on digital platforms without frequency, licensing, or ETA compliance, calling it a violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Friday issued 13 notices to several digital marketplaces for listing and selling walkie-talkies without proper frequency disclosure, licensing information, or Equipment Type Approval (ETA), which it said violated the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

 

The move comes amid rising tensions at the India–Pakistan border. “Walkie-talkies are being sold on e-commerce platforms without mandatory and clear disclosures regarding the requirement of a wireless operating licence or compliance with applicable laws. The product listings for walkie-talkies do not specify whether the device requires a licence from the concerned authority for use,” the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said in a statement on Friday evening.

 

The e-commerce platforms include Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, OLX, Facebook, and Indiamart, among others, it added.

 

“The omission of details such as frequency range, licensing obligations under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, 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, as well as the potential legal consequences of unauthorised use, misleads consumers into believing that the devices are freely operable by the general public,” the ministry stated.

 

Queries from Business Standard to the companies had not elicited responses as of Friday evening.