Nigeria has imposed a $220 million fine on Meta after an investigation revealed that data sharing on the company’s platforms breached the country’s data protection and privacy laws.
Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) alleges that Meta used Nigerian users’ data without their consent and “abused its market dominance by forcing exploitative privacy policies on users, and meted out discriminatory and disparate treatment on Nigerians, compared with other jurisdictions with similar regulations,” Reuters reports.
The problem is that Meta does not give users the option to withhold consent for the collection, use, and sharing of their personal data.
“The totality of the investigation has concluded that Meta over the protracted period of time has engaged in conduct that constituted multiple and repeated, as well as continuing infringements… particularly, but not limited to abusive, and invasive practices against data subjects in Nigeria,” FCCPC chief Adamu Abdullahi said.
“Being satisfied with the significant evidence on the record and that Meta has been provided every opportunity to articulate any position, representations, refutations, explanations, or defenses of their conduct, the Commission has now entered a final order and issued a penalty against Meta,”
Meta was recently fined 1.2 billion Lira (approximately $36 million USD) in Turkey over similar issues.