There are growing concerns that people in Nigeria may lose access to Facebook and Instagram after parent company Meta faced hefty fines and “unrealistic” regulatory demands from Nigerian authorities, according to a report by the BBC.
Meta has been embroiled in a legal dispute with three Nigerian oversight agencies, which last year imposed fines totaling over $290 million (£218 million) for violating various laws and regulations. Despite attempting to challenge these penalties in the federal high court in Abuja, Meta’s efforts were unsuccessful. The court has given the company until the end of June to pay the fines.
In court papers, Meta warned that it might be forced to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria to avoid enforcement measures. While the company owns WhatsApp, it did not mention the messaging service in its statement regarding the situation.
Facebook, the most popular social media platform in Nigeria, serves tens of millions of users for daily communication, news sharing, and as a key tool for small businesses. The potential loss of access to the platform could have significant social and economic repercussions.
The fines stem from three primary complaints against Meta:
- The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) fined Meta $220 million for alleged anti-competitive practices.
- The Nigerian advertising regulator imposed a $37.5 million fine for unapproved advertising.
- The Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) fined the company $32.8 million for violating data privacy laws.
Meta, in its legal submissions, expressed its primary concern with the NDPC’s demands, particularly the requirement that Meta seek prior approval before transferring personal data out of Nigeria. The company called this condition “unrealistic,” along with other regulatory demands, such as creating educational videos about data privacy risks in collaboration with government-approved institutions.
The NDPC’s insistence on these requirements has prompted Meta to argue that the agency has misinterpreted data privacy laws, claiming that the regulations are unfeasible and could severely impact its operations.
