In a groundbreaking move, Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has slapped Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, with a staggering $220 million fine for egregious violations of antitrust, data protection, and consumer rights laws.
The commission’s exhaustive 38-month investigation, launched in May 2021, unearthed “significant evidence” of Meta’s invasive practices against Nigerian data subjects, prompting FCCPC chief Adamu Abdullahi to declare, “We need to make sure that Meta complies with our laws and stops exploiting our consumers and abusing the market.”
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The FCCPC’s probe revealed a disturbing pattern of discriminatory practices, abuse of market dominance, unauthorized sharing of personal data, and denial of control over data use, leaving Nigerian consumers vulnerable to exploitation. Despite Meta’s attempts to rectify the situation with a proposed remedy package, the FCCPC deemed it insufficient, leading to the imposition of the hefty fine.
This bold move by Nigeria’s regulatory body sends a clear message to tech giants: exploitative data practices will no longer be tolerated.
As Abdullahi emphasized, “We will continue to protect our consumers and ensure that companies operating in Nigeria comply with our laws.”
This landmark decision sets a precedent for holding tech companies accountable for their data handling practices and underscores the importance of safeguarding consumer rights in the digital age.
