Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, has threatened to limit access to these platforms in Nigeria due to fines imposed by local regulatory agencies.
Last year, three Nigerian regulatory bodies fined the US social media giant over $290 million for various legal and regulatory breaches.
Meta’s recent attempt to challenge these rulings in an Abuja High Court was unsuccessful, with the court ordering the company to pay the fines by the end of June.
While Meta also owns WhatsApp, this messaging service was not included in the threatened shutdown.
Facebook is currently the most popular social media platform in Nigeria, used by millions daily for communication and news, and is also crucial for many small online businesses.
The fines include a $220 million penalty from the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) in July of last year for alleged anti-competitive practices, a $37.5 million fine from the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) for unauthorized advertising, and a $32.8 million fine from the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) for violating data privacy laws.
Adamu Abdullahi, CEO of FCCPC, stated that joint investigations with the data commission revealed “invasive practices against data subjects/consumers in Nigeria” between May 2021 and December 2023, though specific details were not provided.
In court documents, Meta expressed its “primary concern” with the data commission, accusing it of “misinterpreting” data privacy regulations.
The NDPC specifically required Meta to obtain prior consent before transferring personal data outside Nigeria, a demand Meta deemed “unrealistic.”
Meta was also instructed to provide links to educational videos on data privacy risks, developed with government-approved institutions and non-profits.
The NDPC insisted these videos should highlight the risks of “manipulative and unfair data processing” that could expose Nigerian users to health and financial risks.
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