With significant interest, the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), said it has received the news that the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCT) upheld the $220 million fine imposed on Meta Platforms Incorporated, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.
Meta had threatened to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria after being slammed with the fines by the Nigerian government agencies and what it describes as excessive, unworkable data regulation demands.
Techeconomy also reported the penalty was imposed after a 30-month investigation between 2021 and 2023 by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) for unauthorised data sharing and discriminatory practices by Meta against Nigerian users.
In a statement on Sunday, Malam Kabiru Yusuf, president and Mrs. Angela Emuwa, general secretary, NPAN said, the CCPT’s ruling represents a significant milestone in Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to enforce digital accountability and protect the rights of its citizens in the digital age.
The statement reads:
“In an era where digital platforms wield enormous influence over societies and economies, it is imperative that companies operating in Nigeria’s digital space comply fully with domestic laws and regulations. Respect for national sovereignty must extend to the digital domain, where the rights and interests of citizens deserve the same robust protections as in any other sphere”.
NPAN further notes that the decision of Nigeria’s CCPT aligns with a broader global trend where regulatory bodies are increasingly taking firm action against major technology companies for violations of data protection and competition laws.
Recall that in 2023, Ireland fined Meta 1.2 billion euros for the company’s failure to comply with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by unlawfully transferring EU user data to the US without adequate safeguards.
Amazon was fined 746 million euros in 2021 by Luxembourg for a similar breach; while TikTok, Google and Apple have also been penalised at different times for data breaches and anti-trust activities.
“As an association deeply committed to the defence of civil rights, media freedom, and the public good, NPAN reaffirms its support for strong, fair, and transparent enforcement of laws governing the digital economy. It also remains steadfast in promoting the digital rights of publishers to secure fair remuneration for their work and safeguarding intellectual property against exploitation amid the growing complexities of the digital landscape.
“We believe that consistent regulatory vigilance, backed by sustained collaboration among all stakeholders — government agencies, civil society, industry players, and the general public — is essential to ensuring that digital platforms operate responsibly, ethically, and in accordance with Nigeria’s legal and social norms”, the NPAN statement reads.
The body calls for continued efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s digital regulatory environment to not only safeguard the rights of individuals but also to foster innovation and trust in the country’s growing digital economy.
