The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has refuted suggestions that its recent penalty decision and penalties against WhatsApp will compel the platform to leave Nigeria.
The commission further observed that WhatsApp is trying to sway public opinion and “potentially pressurize the FCCPC to reconsider its decision” by claiming that it would be compelled to leave Nigeria as a result of its recent order.
In response to a report that claimed WhatsApp was thinking of discontinuing parts of its services in the nation, the regulator took action. A WhatsApp representative reportedly stated, “We want to be really clear that technically, based on the order, it would be impossible to provide WhatsApp in Nigeria or globally,” on Thursday, according to Techcabal.
“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.”
As of February 2024, 51 million Nigerians were using WhatsApp, according to Yahoo Finance. The parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, Meta, was requested by the FCCPC to pay $220 million in July over an alleged breach of data privacy.
The commission found Meta responsible for depriving Nigerians of their right to self-determination, exchanging and transferring Nigerian data without authorization, treating Nigerians unfairly, abusing their dominance, and tying and bundling.
The FCCPC stated that the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and it conducted a joint 38-month investigation before reaching their conclusion.
In response to WhatsApp’s allegations on Thursday, the commission stated that its measures were motivated by justifiable concerns about data privacy and consumer protection. It made clear that, in order to comply with its final ruling, Meta must respect local norms and the needs of Nigerian consumers.
“Similar policies are implemented in other jurisdictions without causing businesses to exit the market. The situation in Nigeria would not be different,” the FCCPC went on to add.
A recent report disclosed that Meta is appealing its largest fine in Africa. The internet giant has listed 22 grounds for the case to be dismissed, including ambiguous instructions, irrational data-sharing mandates, and procedural mistakes.
Babatunde Irukera, the FCCPC’s former chairman, wrote on X, “The same company just settled a Texas case for $1.4 billion and is currently facing regulatory action in at least a dozen nations, appealing large penalties in several countries. How many has it threatened to exit?”
