The imposition of a $220 million fine on Meta Platforms for allegedly breaching data privacy laws may result in the exit of WhatsApp, a leading messaging platform from Nigeria.
Meta is considering withdrawing certain services in Nigeria in response to the recent regulatory demands. Sources familiar with the discussions revealed that the company is evaluating the impact of the new order.
A WhatsApp spokesperson said: “We want to be really clear that technically, based on the order, it would be impossible to provide WhatsApp in Nigeria or globally. This order contains multiple inaccuracies and misrepresents how WhatsApp works. WhatsApp relies on limited data to run our service and keep users safe, and it would be impossible to provide WhatsApp in Nigeria or globally without Meta’s infrastructure. We are urgently appealing the order to avoid any impact on users.”
The FCCPC imposed a $220 million (over ₦300 billion) fine on Meta over alleged misappropriation of Nigerian users’ data.
The commission said Meta used its market power to enforce exploitative privacy policies to harvest users’ data without proper consent.
It said WhatsApp must stop sharing user data with other Meta companies and third parties without approval or consent. Additionally, WhatsApp must provide information about data collection and restore user control over data usage.
This is coming after an investigation into Meta’s conduct and operations between May 2021 and December 2023.
In its argument against FCCPC’s instructions to stop sharing user information, Meta claimed it cannot revert to its 2016 data-sharing policy.
The company states that its updated data-sharing policy does not compromise Nigerian users and that there is confusion surrounding the data transfer to Facebook.
Lately, Whatsapp users have expressed concerns over data privacy and regulatory compliance, which may potentially millions of users in Nigeria.