FG reacts to WhatsApp’s threat to exit Nigeria over $220M fine | Read Details 

FG reacts to WhatsApp’s threat to exit Nigeria over $220M fine | Read Details 

 

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has described WhatsApp’s threat to exit Nigeria as ‘a strategic move aimed at influencing public opinion and potentially pressuring the Commission to reconsider its decision of a $220 million penalty.

 

FCCPC disclosed this via its X handle on August 1, 2024.

 

The FCCPC, an agency under the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), had last week, imposed a $220 million penalty on Meta Platforms Incorporated over alleged discriminatory practices against Nigerian data and consumers.

According to the Commission, an investigation carried out concluded that Meta Platforms had engaged in conduct constituting ongoing infringements of Nigeria’s consumer protection and data laws over an extended period.

The Commission said it found that the Meta Parties engaged in multiple and repeated infringements of the FCCPA and the NDPR which warranted the fine to deter future violations and ensure accountability for the alleged infringements.

The Commission emphasized that its orders are legitimate and have also been applied by other countries where WhatsApp and Meta operate.

 

“The FCCPC’s actions are based on legitimate concerns about consumer protection and data privacy, and the order is a positive step toward 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” FCCPC tweeted.

 

However, the decision by the FCCPC has been appealed by WhatsApp and Meta Platforms’ legal team.

In their appeal, they argued that the FCCPC denied them a fair hearing by imposing a hefty penalty without giving them an opportunity to understand the basis for the penalty calculation and to respond to it.

 

The appellants further argued that, contrary to the FCCPC’s order on compliance, it would be impossible to identify and build a consent mechanism for each data point processed by Nigerian consumers as doing so would be “extremely expensive.”