FIR accuses Krafton of selling user data for ₹2,000 per subscriber via Telegram.
Four Krafton executives have been named under IPC and IT Act charges.
Krafton denies all allegations and has filed writ petitions in the Bombay High Court.
Krafton, the publisher of Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), appears to have run into legal trouble following allegations of privacy violations and illegal data monetisation. This comes after a Maharashtra resident, Santosh Torane, filed a FIR accusing the gaming giant of violating confidentiality agreements and selling user data on Telegram. The Bombay High Court will hear the case next week, and an investigation is already underway.
According to reports, a FIR was filed on September 5, 2024, at the Akluj Police Station. The FIR named four Krafton executives—WooYol Lim, Jitendra Bansal, Yoonal Soni, and Wooyol Shalom—and claimed that the company violated a legally binding service agreement signed on August 2, 2021. He also claimed that Kraftion sold subscriber data for around Rs 2,000 per user through third-party platforms such as Telegram, which is a violation of user privacy.
Charges were filed under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy (120-B), cheating (420), and violations of Sections 72, 72A, and 85 of the Information Technology Act of 2000.
Tornanme also claimed that despite raising concerns with local police and the Solapur SP in late 2023, no significant action was taken, so he approached the judiciary. On August 28, 2024, the Judicial Magistrate First Class in Malshiras ordered the police to conduct a thorough investigation under Section 156(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Declaring that the charges were of “grave concern” and required prompt attention, the magistrate underlined the necessity of a formal investigation.
Krafton Responds:
Responding to the claims, the company responded, ” At KRAFTON, the protection of personal data is of utmost importance to us, and we are committed to upholding the highest standards of data security. As the matter is currently sub judice, we believe it is best to wait for the legal process to conclude, after which we will provide any necessary clarifications”
The parties have received notices from the High Court, which is made up of Justices Sarang V. Kotwal and Dr. Neela Gokhale. The petitions have been combined for hearing. Until the next court date, which is April 15, 2025, all interim orders are still in effect.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. Previously, he worked as a Senior Sub-Editor with Jagran English from 2022, and has been a journalist since 2020, with experience at Times Internet. Ashish specializes in Technology. In his free time, you can find him exploring new gadgets, gaming, and discovering new places. View Full Profile
