NIGERIA SLAMS META WITH US$220M FINE FOR DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES

ABUJA, Nigeria, July 24 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Nigeria has slapped a US$220 million fine on US tech giant Meta Platforms and WhatsApp, citing discriminatory practices and sanctionable offences, the country's competition watchdog announced Tuesday.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), in a press conference here, announced that the penalty was imposed on Meta Platforms and WhatsApp after three years of intensive investigations.

Acting FCCPC head Adamu Abdullahi stated that Meta Platforms were found guilty of denying Nigerian data subjects the right to self-determination and unauthorised transfer and sharing of personal data, which differed from practices in other regions.

In other regions, the Meta Platforms gave data subjects the option to decide whether to share their data, but that was not the case in Nigeria, Abdullahi said, noting last week, the competition authorities were moved to issue a final order and imposed the penalty over discriminatory practices in Nigeria.

“We found out that when you register for the first time to join WhatsApp, there is a column that says you have agreed to your data being shared for research. Secondly, we found out that they share our data across platforms," the official said.

In response to the alleged violation of Nigeria's data privacy laws, WhatsApp has vowed that its parent body will appeal the monetary fine, saying it disagreed with the decision by the local competition watchdog, the News Agency of Nigeria reported, citing an official statement. 

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