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Nigeria’s Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal orders Meta and WhatsApp to pay $220 million fine and $35,000 reimbursement.
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Meta and WhatsApp found guilty of violating data protection laws and discriminatory practices.
Tribunal directs Meta to reinstate user consent mechanisms and stop sharing Nigerian users’ data without consent.
Nigeria’s Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal has ordered Meta and WhatsApp to pay a $220 million penalty and $35,000 reimbursement to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) for violating data protection laws and discriminatory practices.
The tribunal, led by Thomas Okosun, upheld the FCCPC’s findings that Meta and WhatsApp engaged in exploitative practices that violated constitutional guarantees by allowing unauthorized access to and misuse of private information. “The appellants were given ample opportunity to be heard,” Okosun said. “The tribunal finds that the FCCPC did not exceed its powers while making orders in respect to data protection.”
The tribunal directed Meta to immediately reinstate the right of Nigerian users to determine how their data is shared, stop sharing users’ information with Facebook and other third parties, and provide evidence of compliance.
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Meta must also pay the $220 million fine no later than 60 days from April 30, 2025. “The tribunal finds no error in the overall orders of the FCCPC,” the tribunal held. “Accordingly, the administrative penalties of the FCCPC were lawfully imposed on Meta and WhatsApp.”
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