By John Ikani
Nigeria has slammed social media giant Meta, the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp a hefty $220 million fine for repeated violations of the country’s data protection and consumer rights laws.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) launched an investigation in May 2021, uncovering “intrusive practices” by Meta against Nigerian users.
The probe, which concluded in December 2023 and involved collaboration with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, revealed a string of offences.
According to FCCPC CEO Adamu Abdullahi, Meta engaged in discriminatory practices, abused its dominant market position, shared Nigerians’ personal information without permission, and denied them control over how their data is used.
Beyond the significant fine, the FCCPC demanded immediate compliance from Meta. This includes adhering to existing laws, ending the “exploitation” of Nigerian consumers, and ceasing any future actions that disregard national standards.
The commission also ordered Meta to refrain from similar practices moving forward.
Meta has yet to publicly respond to the fine, although the FCCPC confirmed the company was aware of the 38-month investigation.
Nigeria boasts a young and hyper-connected population, with roughly 75% of its 200 million citizens under 24 years old. As of March, the National Communication Commission reported over 164 million internet subscriptions in the country.
Social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, all owned by Meta, dominate the Nigerian online landscape. According to Communications and Digital Economy Minister Bosun Tijani, Nigeria boasts over 51 million WhatsApp users alone.
This hefty fine comes on the heels of similar action taken by the European Union (EU) in July. The EU accused Meta of violating its digital regulations, potentially paving the way for massive fines running into billions of euros.
The EU’s case centred on Meta’s new ad-free subscription model, which they claim forced users to either pay to avoid data collection or agree to share data for continued free access to platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
