Why we fined Meta – FCCPC

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has said that it fined Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, after a three-year investigation showed that the company violated consumers’ rights and data privacy.

The acting Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC, Dr. Adamu Abdullahi, who made the disclosure at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, said the commission discovered that: “When you want to register a new WhatsApp, Meta has already made the conditions compulsory for Nigerians to agree to its data privacy specifications as against the Yes or No option provided in Europe and other countries, which was why we fined them $220m.

• NIGERIA DAILY: How To Mitigate The Impact Of Rain On Ordinary Nigerians
• Ripples over proposed inclusion of foreigners in Nigeria’s NIN registration

“Subsequently, they shared the data of Nigerians across different platforms which violated the Data Protection Act of Nigeria; that was why we fined them. We are also proud to say that we are one of the first institutions in Africa to stand against these multinationals and ensure they do the right thing.”

Asked about the previous fine on British American Tobacco, he said, “The company paid the money to the federal government, partly in January, 2023, and completed it in March, 2023, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).”