Nigeria fines Meta $220 million over data violations

ABUJA: Nigeria has issued a $220 million (€202 million) fine against US tech giant Meta for violations of antitrust, data protection and consumer rights laws.

Nigeria’s consumer protection watchdog accused US tech giant Meta of abusing market dominance and sharing personal data without permission.

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Meta is the parent company of the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, as well as of the WhatsApp instant messaging service.

What did Nigeria accuse Meta of?

Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on Friday accused Meta of discriminatory practices, abuse of market dominance, sharing Nigerians’ personal data without authorisation and denying Nigerians the right to determine how their data is used.

It said it had “significant evidence on the record” after launching a 38-month investigation in May 2021.

FCCPC chief executive officer Adamu Abdullahi said investigations carried out by the commission showed that Meta had engaged in “invasive practices against data subjects in Nigeria.”

Abdullahi said the tech giant must “comply with the prevailing law and cease the exploitation of Nigerian consumers and their market abuse.”

The commission ordered the firm to “desist from future similar or other conduct/practices that do not meet nationally applicable standards.”

The FCCPC said that Meta was aware of the commission’s investigations into the firm. It said Meta proposed a “remedy package” that failed to address initial concerns.

Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment from news agencies.
Meta platforms popular in Nigeria

Nigeria, which is Africa’s most populous country, has some 164 million internet subscriptions out of a total population of 200 million.

Around three-quarters of Nigerians are under the age of 24, many of whom have grown up connected with social media. WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram are among the most popular social media platforms in Nigeria.

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Communication Minister Bosun Tijani said in December that the country had “over 51 million WhatsApp users.”

Nigeria’s government is not the first to take Meta to task for antitrust and data collection breaches. Earlier this month, the European Union accused Meta of breaching the bloc’s tech regulations.