Keypoints:
- Meta faces $220m privacy fine
- FCCPC accuses company of data breaches
- Shutdown threat sparks regulatory clash
TECH giant Meta has warned it may shut down Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria following a tribunal’s decision to uphold a $220 million fine over alleged consumer data violations.
A Nigerian court rejected Meta’s appeal last week, backing the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), which found the company guilty of violating privacy laws between 2021 and 2023. The case was built on investigations carried out in collaboration with the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
In court documents cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP), Meta stated that it ‘may be forced to effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures’.
Meta pushes back on ruling
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is contesting the findings, saying the decision fails to reflect the privacy tools it offers users in Nigeria.
‘We disagree with the NDPC’s decision, which fails to take into account the wide range of settings and tools that allow everyone using Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria to control how their information is used,’ a Meta spokesperson told AFP.
‘We’re committed to protecting user privacy and have appealed the decision,’ the company added.
Meta has until the end of June to pay the fine or risk additional sanctions, according to local media.
WhatsApp also challenges verdict
A WhatsApp spokesperson told AFP the tribunal’s order contains ‘multiple inaccuracies and misrepresents how WhatsApp works’, adding that the company is ‘urgently applying to stay the order and appeal the tribunal’s decision to avoid any impact to users’.
With more than 164 million internet subscriptions as of March, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission, Meta’s platforms remain critical to Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
Regulators reject ‘blackmail’
In a sharp response, the FCCPC accused Meta of trying to manipulate public sentiment by threatening to leave the country.
‘This is a calculated move aimed at inducing negative public reaction and potentially pressuring the FCCPC to reconsider its decision,’ the agency said in a statement on Saturday.
The FCCPC further noted that Meta has faced similar sanctions in jurisdictions such as Texas, France, South Korea, India and Australia, without resorting to threats of withdrawal.
‘Threatening to leave Nigeria does not absolve Meta of liabilities for the outcome of a judicial process. In other countries, they obeyed,’ the statement read.
As the June deadline looms, the standoff between Meta and Nigeria’s regulators is intensifying, with wider implications for global tech accountability across African markets.
