Facebook and WhatsApp parent company Meta says it will appeal the $220 million fine imposed by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) for violating Nigeria’s data privacy laws.
Meta made this known in a statement on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
The company said: “We disagree with the decision today as well as the fine and Meta will be appealing the decision.
“In 2021, we went to users globally to explain how talking to businesses among other things would work and while there was a lot of confusion then, it has actually proven quite popular.”
Meta’s reaction followed a statement by the FCCPC saying that Meta denied Nigerian users control over their data.
The FCCPC, in a statement issued by its acting Executive Chairman, Adamu Abdullahi, on Friday, July 19, noted that Meta also shared the users’ data without consent and abused its market dominance.
The commission said its final order imposed a monetary penalty of $220 million on Meta.
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“The penalty is in accordance with the FCCPA 2018, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection (Administrative Penalties) Regulations 2020,” it said.
The FCCPC added that it initiated its investigation in May 2021, based on evidence suggesting that Meta, through its platforms, breached the provisions of the FCCPA 2018 and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation 2019.
It stated that these regulations were in effect prior to the enactment and implementation of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
The competition protection body noted that Meta responded to document requests and summons by providing some information.
It stated that Meta’s representatives and retained legal counsel consistently engaged with and met investigators and analysts from the commission and the NDPC.
The FCCPC noted that its investigation uncovered evidence of the company’s engaging in practices that were abusive and invasive towards data consumers in Nigeria.
This included collecting personal data without consent and implementing discriminatory practices against Nigerians, among other issues.
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