FG Imposes $220 Million Fine on Facebook, WhatsApp

The Federal Government has fined Meta Platforms $220 million (about N330 billion) after investigations revealed that data-sharing practices on Facebook and WhatsApp violated local consumer, data protection, and privacy laws.

Dr. Adamu Abdullahi, Acting CEO of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), announced this on Friday.

He stated that Meta used Nigerian users’ data without their consent, abused its market dominance, and treated Nigerians unfairly compared to other regions with similar regulations.

Meta has not yet commented, but the FCCPC noted that the company has provided some documents and retained legal counsel to engage with the agency. The investigations, conducted jointly with Nigeria’s Data Protection Commission, spanned 38 months.

The findings indicated that Meta’s policies do not allow users to opt-out or withhold consent for the collection, use, and sharing of personal data.