Facebook and Instagram parent company, Meta Platforms, has been fined $220 million by Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) for violating local consumer, data protection, and privacy laws.
The fine follows a 38-month investigation conducted in collaboration with Nigeria’s Data Protection Commission. Meta has yet to comment on the Nigerian fine.
The FCCPC’s investigation revealed that Meta inappropriately appropriated the data of Nigerian users on its platforms without their consent and exploited its market dominance by imposing unfair privacy policies. The commission also found that Meta subjected Nigerian users to discriminatory and disparate treatment compared to users in other jurisdictions with similar regulations.
According to FCCPC chief, Adamu Abdullahi, the investigation concluded that Meta’s policies did not allow users the option to self-determine or withhold consent regarding the collection, use, and sharing of personal data. Abdullahi stated, “The totality of the investigation has concluded that Meta over the protracted period of time has engaged in conduct that constituted multiple and repeated, as well as continuing infringements… particularly, but not limited to abusive, and invasive practices against data subjects in Nigeria.”
Despite Meta providing some documents and retaining legal counsel to engage with the FCCPC, the commission determined that there was significant evidence to support the allegations. “Being satisfied with the significant evidence on the record, and that Meta has been provided every opportunity to articulate any position, representations, refutations, explanations, or defences of their conduct, the Commission has now entered a final order and issued a penalty against Meta,” Abdullahi added.
The final order also mandates specific steps and actions Meta must take to comply with Nigerian laws.
This is not the first time Meta has faced regulatory pushback over data privacy issues. In May, Turkey’s competition board fined Meta 1.2 billion lira for similar data-sharing violations on its Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp platforms. Additionally, Meta has encountered scrutiny in Europe for its plan to use personal data to train artificial intelligence (AI) models without obtaining user consent. Meanwhile, South Africa’s competition watchdog has announced plans to investigate whether digital platforms, including Meta, unfairly compete with news publishers by using their content to generate advertising revenue.
