Abuja, May 4, 2025 – The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has warned Meta against resorting to blackmail in the bid to curry public sympathy over the recent imposition of $220 fine by the commission.
The commission, had in July 2024, imposed $220m fine on Meta for multiple data privacy violations against Nigerians.
It gave the warning in a statement issued by Ondaje Ijagwu, its Director of Corporate Affairs.
It said WhatsApp’s claim that it might be forced to exit Nigeria due to the imposition of the fine appeared to be a calculated move aimed at inducing negative public reaction and potentially pressuring the FCCPC to reconsider its decision.
The commission said threatening to leave Nigeria would not absolve Meta of liabilities for the outcome of a judicial process.
It said it investigated and found the Meta Platforms and WhatsApp (jointly referred to as “Meta Parties”) guilty for violating the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).
The Commission said it found that Meta Parties engaged in multiple and repeated infringements of the FCCPA (2018) and the NDPR.
It said 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.
“Interestingly, Meta had been fined for similar breaches in Texas ($1.5b) and only recently was asked to pay $1.3 Billion for violating E.U. Data Privacy Rules. Elsewhere in India, South Korea, France and Australia, Meta had faced varying penalties for similar breaches. But Meta never resorted to the blackmail of threatening to exit those countries. They obeyed.
“The recent affirmation of FCCPC’s final order by the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal 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, consistent with international best practices,” the FCCPC said.
The commission said it remained committed in its pursuit of consumer protection and data privacy towards ensuring a fairer digital market in Nigeria.
