Meta fined $220m in Nigeria
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A Nigerian anti-trust agency fined WhatsApp owner Meta Platforms US$220 million for violating data and privacy laws.
The Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission said that Meta shared WhatsApp user data with its Facebook subsidiary and third parties without asking for permission from users.
The commission began its inquiry into WhatsApp when the app launched its new privacy policy on May 15, 2021. It ruled the Meta-owned company imposed the policy on Nigerian users without following national fairness rules.
A remedy package was sent by Meta and WhatsApp to allay concerns from the commission on April 19. However, the commission stated it was “not convinced that the proposed remedies satisfy the concerns that prompted the present investigation”.
Meta was given 60 days to pay the US$220 million fine, and ordered to reinstate rights of users to control the use and share of their data. It also ordered the company to comply to local data protection laws and cease sharing WhatsApp data with other subsidiaries such as Facebook.
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