 |
| Image:X |
Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has threatened to shut down both platforms in Nigeria following mounting regulatory pressure and hefty financial penalties imposed by Nigerian authorities.
The tech giant issued the warning in a court filing after Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) fined Meta $220 million in July 2024.
The fine came after a joint 38-month investigation conducted alongside the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), which scrutinized Meta’s data privacy practices, including those of its subsidiary, WhatsApp.
Though Meta plans to appeal the decision, a consumer protection tribunal on April 25 upheld the fine and gave the company until the end of June 2025 to comply.
Meta now says it may be forced to “effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria” to avoid further enforcement actions. Interestingly, WhatsApp was not included in the shutdown threat.
In addition to the FCCPC fine, the NDPC levied a separate $32.8 million penalty against Meta, while the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) imposed another $37.5 million fine for allegedly running unapproved ads.
Authorities are also demanding that Meta obtain prior approval before transferring Nigerian user data abroad a stipulation the company describes as “unrealistic.”
Furthermore, Nigerian regulators have directed Meta to produce educational videos on data privacy risks, in collaboration with government-approved organizations, and to include a dedicated icon for these videos on its platforms.
Meta rejected the demands, calling them “unworkable” and claiming Nigerian data protection laws are being misinterpreted.
As of now, Meta has not taken a final decision but maintains that the imposed requirements and financial penalties could force it to discontinue its services in Nigeria, a key market in its global user base.
#Meta
No comments:
Post a Comment