The Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has accused Meta Platforms and WhatsApp of manipulating Nigerians to get public sympathy over the monetary penalty of $220 million imposed on the tech giant for data violation.
The Nigerian agency had fined the company $220 million for a data privacy breach.
The agency also ordered WhatsApp to stop sharing user data with other Facebook companies and third parties without explicit user consent.
Reacting to this penalty, WhatsApp said it may suspend its operations in Nigeria for what it described as a hostile environment for its business.
WhatsApp’s latest move has been met with lukewarm reception from Nigeria’s over 100 million internet users, who are largely unimpressed despite the platform being the most popular social media tool in the country.
FCCPC has therefore maintained that its penalty on WhatsApp subsists despite the public outcry, urging the tech company to be deliberate about respecting the country’s laws and regulations to avoid subsequent punishment.
The agency wrote: “WhatsApp’s claim that it may be forced to exit Nigeria due to FCCPC’s recent order appears to be a strategic move aimed at influencing public opinion and potentially pressuring the FCCPC to reconsider its decision.
“The FCCPC investigated Meta Platforms and WhatsApp (jointly referred to as “Meta Parties”) for allegedly violating the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).
“The Commission found that Meta Parties engaged in multiple and repeated infringements of the FCCPA and the NDPR. 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.
“The final order 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.
“To deter future violations and ensure accountability for the alleged infringements the FCCPC also imposed a monetary penalty of $220 million.
“The FCCPC’s actions are based on legitimate concerns about consumer protection and data privacy and the order is a positive step towards a fairer digital market in Nigeria. Similar measures are taken in other jurisdictions without forcing companies to leave the market. The case of Nigeria will not be different.”