ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s government on Friday announced a $220 million fine to Meta, saying its investigations found “multiple and repeated” violations of the country’s data protection and consumer rights laws in the Facebook and WhatsApp.
A statement from Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, or FCCPC, listed five ways in which Meta violated data laws in the West African country, including sharing the data of Nigerians without authorization, denying consumers the right to self-determination the use of your data, discriminatory practices, as well as abuse of a dominant position in the market.
“Being satisfied with the significant evidence on record and the fact that the MetaParties were given every opportunity to articulate any position… the Commission has now entered a Final Order and issued a penalty against the MetaParties,” said the chief executive of FCCPC, Adamu Abdullahi. he said in a statement.
A Meta spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Nigeria, which is Africa’s most populous country, also has one of the highest numbers of Internet users in the world, with 154 million active subscribers in 2022, according to the country’s statistics agency.
Despite the high number of Internet users in the country, Meta failed to comply with the Nigerian Data Protection Regulation, failed to hire a Data Protection Compliance Organization and failed to submit the Nigerian Data Protection Regulation audit report for two years, the consumer protection agency said.
In addition to the $220 million fine, the agency’s order required Meta to comply with local laws and cease the “exploitation” of Nigerian consumers.
The investigation into the reported abuse began in May 2021, when the agency opened an inquiry into WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy. It later informed Meta of its findings, after which the company proposed a “package of solutions” that did not address initial concerns, the statement said.
