The proxy war between Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and Meta’s WhatApp continued on Friday with the Agency reacting to the company’s threat to exit the West African country.
The Meta’s microblogging website WhatsApp was slammed with hefty $220 million fine by FCCPC for alleged data privacy violations which the company denied.
Barely a week after, reports emerged that WhatsAppp is weighing its options of which exiting the country is on the table too.
In a tweet on Friday through its verified X handle FCCPC accused the Meta’s company of whipping up sentiments to pressure the Commission to reconsider its decision.
The tweet reads:
WhatsApp’s claim that it may be forced to exit Nigeria due to FCCPC’s recent order appears to be a strategic move aimed at influencing public opinion and potentially pressuring the FCCPC to reconsider its decision.
The FCCPC investigated Meta Platforms and WhatsApp (jointly referred to as “Meta Parties”) for allegedly violating the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).
The Commission found that Meta Parties engaged in multiple and repeated infringements of the FCCPA and the NDPR. These infringements included denying Nigerians the right to control their personal data, transferring and sharing Nigerian user data without authorisation, discriminating against Nigerian users compared to users in other jurisdictions and abusing their dominant market position by forcing unfair privacy policies.
The final order requires Meta Parties to take steps to comply with Nigerian law, stop exploiting Nigerian consumers, change their practices to meet Nigerian standards and respect consumer rights.
To deter future violations and ensure accountability for the alleged infringements the FCCPC also imposed a monetary penalty of $220 million.
The FCCPC’s actions are based on legitimate concerns about consumer protection and data privacy and the order is a positive step towards a fairer digital market in Nigeria. Similar measures are taken in other jurisdictions without forcing companies to leave the market. The case of Nigeria will not be different.
