NIGERIA competition watchdog, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), has fined Meta Platforms $220 million for breaching local consumer, data protection, and privacy laws. The investigation revealed that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, had been sharing Nigerian users’ data without their consent.
The FCCPC stated that Meta exploited its market dominance by imposing unfair privacy policies on users and treating Nigerians differently compared to other regions with similar regulations. Despite Meta providing some documents and engaging legal counsel, the commission found sufficient evidence to impose the fine.
Joint investigation
FCCPC chief Adamu Abdullahi revealed that the investigation, conducted jointly with Nigeria’s Data Protection Commission, spanned over 38 months. The findings indicated that Meta’s policies did not allow users to control or withhold consent regarding the collection and use of their personal data.
‘The investigation concluded that Meta engaged in multiple and repeated infringements of data protection laws in Nigeria,’ said Abdullahi. ‘Meta has been given every opportunity to defend its conduct, but the evidence was clear, leading to this final order and penalty.’
Meta’s response and obligations
Meta has not yet commented on the fine. However, the FCCPC has mandated that Meta take specific actions to comply with local laws.
Global scrutiny
Meta is facing increasing scrutiny worldwide for its data privacy practices. In May, Turkey’s competition board fined Meta 1.2 billion lira for similar data-sharing violations. The company has also faced criticism in Europe for using personal data to train artificial intelligence models without user consent. Additionally, South Africa’s competition watchdog has announced plans to investigate whether digital platforms like Meta are unfairly competing with news publishers by using their content to generate ad revenue.
The global pushback against Meta highlights the growing demand for stronger data protection and privacy regulations to safeguard users’ rights.
