The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has imposed a fine of $220 million penalty and $35,000 on WhatsApp and other Meta platforms over data discrimination practices in Nigeria.
This followed an investigation into alleged violations of data protection and consumer rights by Meta and WhatsApp.
A three-member panel, led by Thomas Okosun, passed the verdict on Friday, ordering Meta to pay the fine within 60 days.
The FCCPC had expressed concerns about Meta’s allegedly abusive and invasive practices affecting data subjects and consumers in Nigeria.
- Advertisement -
In their appeal, Meta argued that the FCCPC denied them a fair hearing by imposing a hefty penalty without giving them an opportunity to understand how the penalty would be calculated or to respond to the calculation of the proposed amount.
Also, appellants contended that, contrary to the FCCPC’s compliance order, identifying and building a consent mechanism for each data point processed by Nigerian users would be impossible and extremely expensive.
However, the FCCPC maintained in its argument that the $220 million penalty was based on its resolve to remedy the company’s alleged discriminatory practices rather than impose a financial punishment.
The Commission also highlighted its findings, which revealed that Meta engaged in exploitative practices that violated constitutional guarantees by allowing unauthorised access to and misuse of private information.
In its final verdict, the panel upheld FCCPC’s argument and ordered Meta to pay the fine within 60 days.
