Nigerian users of Facebook and Instagram may be cut off due to huge fines after their parent company, Meta said it faced large fines and “unrealistic” regulatory demands from the Nigerian authorities.
It would be recalled that three Nigerian oversight agencies imposed fines on the US-based social media giant, totalling more $290 million (£218m) for violating various laws and regulations.
Meta cloud not succeed in it challenge of the decisions in the Federal High Court in Abuja.
“The applicant may be forced to effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures,” the company noted in the court papers.
Meta which also owns WhatsApp, did not mention the messaging service in its statement.
The High Court has given Meta a June deadline to pay the fines.
The BBC has asked Meta to outline what its next steps will be but has not yet received a response.
Facebook is by far the most popular social media platform in Nigeria and is used by tens of millions in the country for daily communication and sharing news. It is also a vital tool for many of Nigeria’s small online businesses.
In July last year, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) imposed a $220 million fine on Meta for alleged anti-competitive practices, the advertising regulator fined the company $37.5 million over unapproved advertising, while the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) alleged that Meta had violated data privacy laws and fined it $32.8 million.
The Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Adamu Abdullahi, said investigations carried out in conjunction with the data commission between May 2021 and December 2023 revealed “invasive practices against data subjects/consumers in Nigeria” but was not specific about what these were.
But Meta told the court that its “primary concern” was with the data commission, which it accused of “misinterpreting” data privacy laws.
The commission asked Meta to seek prior approval before transferring any personal data out of Nigeria – a condition the company called “unrealistic.”
The data commission also asked
Meta to provide an icon linking to educational videos about data privacy risks. This would be content created, in collaboration with government-approved educational institutions and non-profit organisations.
The NDPC insisted that these videos highlighted the dangers of “manipulative and unfair data processing” that could expose Nigerian users to health and financial risks.
Meta said NDPC’s demands were unfeasible, adding that the agency has failed to “properly interpret the laws guiding data privacy.” (BBC)
