The Nigerian government fined Meta $220 million for data protection violations. This situation caused great repercussions in Nigeria, as it was determined that Facebook and WhatsApp had violated the country’s data protection and consumer rights laws many times. The fine shows that serious steps have been taken regarding data security in the country.
220 million dollars fine to Meta from Nigeria
Adamu Abdullahi, an official of the Nigerian Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), told reporters that intensive investigations have been carried out against the Meta company for three years. As a result of these investigations, it was revealed that Facebook and WhatsApp had repeatedly violated the country’s data protection and consumer rights laws.
Abdullahi announced that the government fined Meta $220 million for these violations. In particular, it was stated that while Meta offers users in other countries options regarding the sharing of their data, it does not offer these options to Nigerian users. This has raised serious concerns that Nigerian users’ data is not being protected.
This penalty given to Meta created a huge controversy in Nigeria. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, announced that Meta had 154 million active subscribers in the country in 2022. The fact that Meta, which has such a large user base, violated the rights of Nigerian users was considered a serious negligence in data security and user rights.
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It is eagerly awaited how Meta will react to this penalty and how it will protect user data in Nigeria. With this fine, the Nigerian government has sent a clear message against companies that violate data protection laws. In particular, it is stated that there will be stricter controls on how digital platforms use and protect user data.
