The threat of FG to shut down operations in Nigeria for a $220 million fine exploded.
Nigeria News Nalin The federal government, through the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission FCCPC, said that WhatsApp threatened to withdraw from Nigeria due to the commission’s recent order, would not exempt the company from the outcome of judicial proceedings.
The FCCPC said in a statement on Saturday in Abuja Ondaje Ijagwu, director of corporate affairs in Abuja, that the Monarch Party should take steps to comply with Nigerian law.
Ijagwu said the threat was a intended move to elicit negative public response and had the potential to put pressure on the FCCPC to reconsider its decision.
According to him, the recent affirmation of the FCCPC final order by the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal requires the Meta-Party to stop exploiting Nigerian consumers and change their practices to meet Nigerian standards consistent with international best practices.
Recall that the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal has awarded $220 million in grants against Incorporated and WhatsApp LLC as an administrative fine for violations, ijagwu said.
Meta threatened to shut down its Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in protest of the huge fines imposed by multiple government agencies.
It will also be recalled that the court further awarded $35,000 to the FCCPC as the cost of the investigation.
FCCPC investigates the META platform and WhatsApp (collected as the “Meta Party”) for alleged violations of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, FCCPA and Nigeria Data Protection Regulation, NDPR.
The Commission found that the Monopolitical Party was engaged in multiple and repeated infringements of the FCCPA (2018) and NDPR.
“These infringements include denying Nigerians the right to control their personal data, unauthorized, transmit and share Nigerian user data.
“Others distinguish Nigerian users compared to users in other jurisdictions and abuse their dominant market position by forcing unfair privacy policies,” he said.
According to Ijagwu, Meta was fined for similar violations in Texas ($1.5 billion) and was only recently asked to pay $1.3 billion for breach of EU, EU, data privacy rules.
He reiterated that Mehta faces penalties in India, South Korea, France and Australia for similar violations.
The board director further pointed out that Meta never resorted to blackmail threats to withdraw from these countries and they obeyed.
He expressed the commission’s commitment in pursuing consumer protection and data privacy to ensure a fairer digital market in the country.
