Meta Threatens Exit From Nigeria After $290m Data Privacy Fines
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has warned it may shut down operations in Nigeria following a tribunal ruling that upheld a $220 million fine imposed in July 2024.
In addition to the fine, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) ordered Meta to pay $35,000 to cover the “cost of investigation.” Other Nigerian agencies also levied penalties, with the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) fining Meta N60 billion ($37.5 million), and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission demanding $32.8 million, bringing the total to $290.3 million.
“The applicant may be forced to effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures,” Meta said in court filings.
A spokesperson for the FCCPC, Ondaje Ijagwu, said in a statement that the tribunal “ruled that the multiple actions by WhatsApp and Meta, for which the Commission made findings of violations, were correctly identified, and that the Commission did not err in making those findings.”
Nigeria has accused Meta of violating national data protection and consumer rights laws via its Facebook and WhatsApp platforms.
FCCPC CEO Adamu Abdullahi said a joint investigation with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, conducted between May 2021 and December 2023, uncovered “invasive practices against data subjects/consumers in Nigeria.” He further alleged discriminatory conduct, abuse of market dominance, unauthorised data sharing, and denying Nigerians control over their personal information.
Following the initial fine in July, a WhatsApp spokesperson said via email: “We disagree with this decision as well as the fine.”
Nigeria, with 164.3 million internet subscriptions as of March, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission, remains one of Meta’s largest user bases. The company’s platforms are among the most widely used in the country.
Meanwhile, Meta faces similar regulatory pressure in Europe, where the EU fined it €200 million for its controversial “pay or consent” policy that breached data privacy rules on Facebook and Instagram.
