Nigerian Regulator Fines Meta $220 Million for Privacy Law Violations
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) of Nigeria has imposed a hefty $220 million fine on Meta, citing breaches in the privacy policy of its messaging platform, WhatsApp, which allegedly contravenes the country’s data and privacy laws.
Violation Details
As per a press release issued by the FCCPC, the fine stems from Meta's infractions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018, the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation 2019 (NDPR), and other relevant regulations. The commission outlined various specific violations, such as inappropriate use of personal data without consent, discriminatory practices against Nigerian data subjects/consumers, and unequal treatment of consumers/data subjects compared to other jurisdictions with similar regulations.
Market Dominance Abuse
The FCCPC also accused Meta of misusing its dominant market position by implementing exploitative privacy policies that acquire consumer personal information without offering users the choice to consent to or withhold the collection, use, and sharing of their data.
Response and Appeal
In response to the fine, a WhatsApp spokesperson informed Bloomberg that the company disagrees with the decision and the imposed fine, stating that they are in the process of appealing the ruling.
Global Regulatory Challenges
This penalty follows Meta's decision to halt its generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in Brazil after objections from local regulators regarding its privacy policy. Brazil's National Data Protection Authority had previously suspended Meta's new privacy policy, requesting the removal of sections related to personal data processing for AI training purposes. Additionally, Meta postponed the launch of its AI assistant, Meta AI, in Europe, following a request from the Irish Data Protection Commission, representing European data protection authorities, to delay training its large language models using adult content from Facebook and Instagram.
These regulatory actions underscore the increasing scrutiny and obstacles that tech giants like Meta encounter in adhering to privacy laws and data protection regulations in various jurisdictions.
