Abuja, Nigeria — Meta Platforms don lose dem appeal against the $220 million fine wey Nigeria’s competition watchdog give dem for breach of local consumer protection and data privacy laws. Dis decision come after Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) findings wey start from investigation wey begin for May 2021.
The FCCPC don talk say Meta no fit properly address di concerns dem raised after dem notify di company about di investigation findings. Di case focus on WhatsApp’s new privacy policy update wey no align with local laws and consumer rights.
According to di FCCPC, di fine wey dem impose on Meta in July 2024 na because of wetin dem term discriminatory and exploitative practices against Nigerian users, which no happen in other countries wey get similar regulatory frameworks. Meta try to appeal di decision, saying di fine dey excessive and di directives from di FCCPC no get clarity and dey impossible to follow under Nigerian law.
However, di Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal upholding di penalty, dismissing Meta’s appeal and ordering dem to comply within 60 days. Dem also order Meta and WhatsApp to stop unauthorized sharing of Nigerian users’ data with third parties like Facebook.
Dem must also restore consent mechanisms wey go allow users control how dem share dem data and go back to di 2016 data-sharing policy. Meta must submit a compliance report to di FCCPC and di Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) by July 1, 2025, plus pay di FCCPC $35,000 to cover investigation costs.
Di tribunal’s ruling was delivered by a panel led by Thomas Okosun, affirming FCCPC’s powers in protecting consumer rights and enforcing competition laws. Tunji Bello, di Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of di FCCPC, praised di ruling as landmark judgment wey go reinforce di commission’s mission. He also commend di legal team for dia effort in handling di case, which dey align with di Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
Di legal battles between Meta and di FCCPC stem from a joint investigation wey started in 2020, examining di privacy policies wey WhatsApp and Meta get. Gbolahan Elias (SAN) led di legal team for Meta, while Babatunde Irukera led di FCCPC team. Di findings confirmed dat FCCPC act within dia constitutional powers to investigate and sanction di companies for di alleged breaches of di Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA).
Di tribunal validate di commission’s investigative process and upheld di findings on issues wey surround consumer data rights. This ruling dey important in di context of growing concerns over data privacy and consumer rights in Nigeria, as regulators continue to raise di standard for multinational corporations operating within di country.
