The Federal Government of Nigeria has explained why it has imposed a $220 million fine on Meta Platforms.
The government claimed that its decision to impose the $220 million fine on Meta was due to egregious breaches of consumer protection and data privacy laws.
The national commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Vincent Olatunji, stated this in Abuja on Friday at the Training for DevsInGovernment.
Olatunji explained that the decision was affirmed by the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal.
According to him, the $220 million fine on Meta stems from an exhaustive 38-month investigation revealing alleged discriminatory practices that left millions of Nigerian users vulnerable.
Olatunji added that the FCCPC, in collaboration with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), launched the probe in 2021 following Meta’s controversial WhatsApp privacy policy update.
“We are not necessarily being punitive. However, any institution that fails to cooperate or comply with our laws will be sanctioned,” Mr Olatunji said while speaking on the theme “Innovating with Privacy: Building Trust in Government Digital Services.”
Olatunji said the probe of Meta Platforms Inc. required a multi-agency approach to ensure a thorough and detailed investigation with appropriate mechanisms to resolve the issues.
“We are concerned about the ways and manners in which data of citizens are collected and managed in Nigeria and outside Nigeria.
“In so doing, we also consider the economic values for the citizens and the country, and we want the global best standards and practices to be entrenched here,” he said.
He said that, given the sensitive nature of data in governance and business, the federal government would do everything legally necessary to sanitise the area.
“The future of government is digital, but the success of digital governance will depend on one thing above all. Trust and privacy are the foundations of that trust.
“Deploying trusted digital services is not a task for government alone; it requires all of us across public and private sectors, civil societies, and citizens working together.
“Together we can build a citizen-centric, innovative digital nation that others will look to as a model of trust and progress,” he said.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the Federal Government of Nigeria and Meta are currently embroiled in a major feud over the $220 million fine.
On July 19, 2024, the FCCPC imposed a fine of $220 million on Meta, also the parent company of WhatsApp, for multiple data privacy violations.
However, Meta has kicked against the decision, dragging the Federal government of Nigeria to court.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, contested the penalties, labelling them as “unrealistic demands.”
Ruling on the matter on April 25, the competition and consumer protection tribunal upheld the $220 million data privacy fine imposed on Meta by the FCCPC.
Reacting to the court judgement, the tech giant warned it may shut down operations in Nigeria.
“The applicant may be forced to effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures,” Meta had said.
