Xiaomi urges CCI to recall antitrust report involving Walmart's Flipkart over confidential data concerns

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has asked India's antitrust body, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), to recall a report that found Xiaomi and Walmart's Flipkart guilty of violating competition laws. According to a report by Reuters, the company argues that the report contains sensitive commercial information that was supposed to be hidden, two anonymous sources told Reuters.

The antitrust investigation started in 2021, and a report was recently shared with the involved parties. Xiaomi claims that the report includes confidential business details, such as model-wise sales data, which they believe should have been redacted. Xiaomi fears that this sensitive information could be misused if not properly protected.

If the CCI agrees to recall the report, this could slow down the investigation. The watchdog previously took a similar step in August when Apple raised concerns that its confidential business data was included in an antitrust report about its app store practices.

The CCI’s investigation into Flipkart and Amazon has revealed that these e-commerce platforms favoured specific sellers and formed deals with companies like Xiaomi to launch exclusive products on their websites. This practice, the CCI argues, harms competition and consumers.

Interestingly, Xiaomi doesn’t have issues with the data in the report concerning Amazon, despite similar claims of collusion. The company is primarily focused on the report involving Flipkart and wants the CCI to recall the report, remove sensitive data, and then reissue it to all parties.

Xiaomi and Samsung are among the biggest smartphone brands in India, together controlling around 36% of the market, with Vivo following at 19%. The outcome of this investigation could have implications for their sales strategies, especially regarding exclusive online product launches.