In a landmark decision, Nigeria has slapped Meta Platforms with a $220 million fine following a prolonged investigation into the tech giant’s data practices. The probe, led by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) in conjunction with Nigeria’s Data Protection Commission, revealed that Meta had been illicitly sharing user data and enforcing oppressive privacy policies on Nigerian users without their explicit consent.
Meta, the parent company of popular social platforms including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, was found guilty of appropriating the personal data of Nigerian users, thereby violating local consumer and data protection laws. The investigation, which spanned over 38 months, uncovered that Meta’s policies did not provide users the autonomy to opt-out or withhold consent regarding their personal data usage and sharing.
In response to the findings, FCCPC’s chief, Adamu Abdullahi, noted that Meta’s actions amounted to multiple, repeated, and ongoing infringements against data subjects in Nigeria. Despite Meta providing some documentation and engaging with legal counsel, the evidence was overwhelming, leading to the imposition of the substantial fine and a directive for Meta to align with local regulations.
This significant penalty in Nigeria adds to the growing list of regulatory challenges Meta faces globally. Earlier in May, Turkey’s competition board fined Meta 1.2 billion lira for similar data-sharing infractions. In Europe, Meta has been scrutinized for its plans to use personal data to train artificial intelligence models without user consent, further complicating its global operations.
Additionally, South Africa’s competition watchdog has announced intentions to investigate whether digital platforms like Meta are unfairly competing with news publishers by leveraging their content for ad revenue generation without equitable compensation.
Meta’s data practices have sparked widespread regulatory pushback, highlighting the global demand for stricter adherence to data protection and privacy norms to safeguard consumer rights.
Source: TechCrunch