LEAVING OR NOT, WON’T VOID LIABILITIES– FCCPC WARNS META”

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has made it clear that Meta can’t run from its legal troubles by threatening to leave Nigeria. The Commission emphasized that any ongoing judicial proceedings will not be invalidated by the company’s decision or threat to leave the country.

The Commission said the tech giant’s threat is nothing more than a tactic to gain public sympathy and pressure regulators to back down. The response was given by the agency in a statement signed by its Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu.

This follows an earlier warning by Meta that “it may be forced to effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures”.

The Big Backstory

On July 19, 2024, the FCCPC fined Meta $220 million for multiple data privacy violations. The fine followed an investigation into Meta and WhatsApp together known as the “Meta Parties” over alleged breaches of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation.

According to the commission, Meta didn’t just break the rules, they broke them repeatedly. Some of the violations included:

Denying Nigerians control over their own data

Sharing user data without proper consent

Treating Nigerian users unfairly compared to users in other countries

Abusing their market power by imposing unfair privacy policies.

After months of hearings, Nigeria’s Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal upheld the fine on April 25, backing the FCCPC’s decision.

Meta’s Global Track Record

This isn’t Meta’s first time facing fines for privacy violations. Meta has previously been fined for similar violations, including $1.5 billion in Texas and $1.3 billion for breaching EU data privacy rules.The company has also faced penalties for similar issues in India, South Korea, France, and Australia.

The FCCPC pointed out that Meta followed the law in other countries. They didn’t issue threats, so they should do the same here. Nigeria is not a pushover.

FCCPC Holds Its Ground

The FCCPC isn’t backing down. The agency insists that Meta must comply with Nigerian laws and stop exploiting local users. The recent tribunal ruling orders Meta to:

Stop unlawful data practices

Respect Nigerian consumer rights

Align with international data privacy standards

And if Meta still wants to leave? That’s their call.

But the FCCPC is firm, leaving doesn’t wipe the slate clean. Legal action will continue, and Meta will still be held accountable.

The Message Is Clear

The Commission believes WhatsApp’s exit threat is just a PR move meant to sway the public and shift blame. But Nigeria’s regulators are standing tall.

“Let’s be clear,” the FCCPC stated. “No company is above the law, no matter how big they are. And threats won’t make us change course.”

With digital privacy becoming a global concern, Nigeria is drawing a line in the sand. The country wants fair treatment for its citizens, and it expects international tech giants to play by the same rules they follow elsewhere.

As the showdown continues, one thing is certain: Nigeria is not afraid to challenge Big Tech.