NIGERIA, taking the lead among African countries in challenging social media platforms accused of violating local consumer, data protection, and privacy laws, has imposed a $220 million fine on Meta Platforms. This action highlights a growing trend of African nations holding tech giants accountable for their data practices.
South Africa’s competition watchdog has also announced plans to investigate whether digital platforms, including Meta, unfairly compete with news publishers by using their content to generate ad revenue.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) of Nigeria announced the fine following extensive investigations that revealed Meta’s violations of local laws. The FCCPC found that Meta had appropriated Nigerian users’ data without proper consent, abused its market dominance by enforcing exploitative privacy policies, and discriminated against Nigerian users compared to those in other jurisdictions with similar regulations.
The investigation, conducted jointly with Nigeria’s Data Protection Commission over 38 months, uncovered that Meta’s policies don’t allow users to withhold consent for the collection, use, and sharing of their personal data. FCCPC chief Adamu Abdullahi stated that Meta had engaged in “abusive and invasive practices against data subjects in Nigeria” over an extended period.
The final order not only imposes the substantial fine but also mandates specific steps Meta must take to comply with local laws. While Meta has not immediately commented, the FCCPC noted that the company has provided some documents and engaged legal counsel to interact with the agency.
This action by Nigeria is part of a broader global trend of increased scrutiny on tech giants’ data practices. In May, Turkey fined Meta 1.2 billion lira for similar violations. Meta has also faced challenges in Europe and other jurisdictions over alleged breaches of data protection laws, including criticism of its plan to use personal data for AI model training without explicit consent.
This move by Nigeria could potentially inspire other African countries to take similar actions, signaling a shift towards more stringent enforcement of data protection and privacy laws across the continent.
