- Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) slammed WhatsApp with a fine of $220 million for data privacy breach
- WhatsApp claimed they might be forced to leave Nigeria because of FCCPC’s order
- FCCPC claimed WhatsApp’s exit threat is an attempt to sway public opinion
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has said that WhatsApp’s threat that it may exit Nigeria due to the agency’s order is an attempt to sway public opinion.
The agency also disclosed their investigations into Meta’s platforms revealed multiple infringements on data privacy and that their actions are out of genuine concern for the consumers of the digital platform.
The commission said this in a statement posted on X on Thursday August 1. @fccpcnigeria posted: “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.”
The FCCPC imposed a $220 million fine on WhatsApp for alleged data privacy violations on July 19.
In a report by TechCabal, WhatsApp said that it may have to suspend operations in Nigeria because “WhatsApp relies on limited data to run our service and keep users safe, and it would be impossible to provide WhatsApp in Nigeria or globally without Meta’s infrastructure.”
The instant messaging app also said they are urgently appealing the order to avoid any impact on users.
Nigerians react to FCCPC’s order against WhatsApp
Some Nigerians expressed their support for the commission and urged them not to succumb to WhatsApp’s pressure or threats and reconsider the order.
While some netizens did not fully understand why FCCPC had to fine WhatsApp, others thought the National Identification Management Commission (NIMC) should also be fined for data breach.
Here are some of the comments:
@PhotosbyOche posted: “I believe you nighas are unto some good here, but make them no come vex truly leave ooo”
@AkposJim posted: “Hope the money wey una wan collect go touch us. We wey dem transfer their data’s. Make una share money reach us.”
@Sweeegu posted: “Pls do the same with NIMC within Nigeria here.”
@obaino_ posted: “So how much of that money will get to the Nigerians whose data was exploited? You guys are just trying to cash out.”
@Abdulfatah_B posted: “Please don't be pressured to reconsider. Sensible Nigerians stand with you on this.”
@Ishow_leck posted: “They should leave or what’s the threat for. The same thing Nigeria charged for was the same thing the paid billions of dollars to USA 🇺🇸 recently, on privacy breach. If they think their market is not here, they should leave.”
@LadyGrasha posted: “Kudos FCCPC. Please make sure they pay the fine. Because trust me, Nigerians won't get away with it if it was their country. How can they be leaking data and putting us at risk of data theft and exposure? Abeg abeg abeg.”
@RealOlaudah posted: “You guys are simply desperate to extort money for a broke but profligate government, and you wouldn't mind doing so at the expense of denying your citizens of their major avenue of communication, interaction, and news. Go ahead, but know that there's a limit to which you can push a people to the wall.”
@espeezeal posted: “My own is let's assume they paid $220 politicians will use it buy cars and support their families as usual.”
Instagram shuts down 63,000 Nigerian accounts linked to ‘sextortion’ scams
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that Meta announced that it had removed about 63,000 Instagram accounts in Nigeria that attempted to engage in financial sexual extortion scams, which involved threatening people with the release of compromising photos, either real or fake, and demanding to be paid. This scam, sextortion, was mainly aimed at adult men in the United States.
The company announced in its Q1 2024 Adversarial Threat Report on July 24 that the removed accounts also included a smaller coordinated network of around 2,500 linked to a group of around 20 individuals.