Nigeria accuses Meta of 'negative PR' over threats to shutdown apps
The Nigerian government has accused Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, of orchestrating a "negative public relations campaign" in an attempt to pressure authorities after the tech giant threatened to withdraw its services from the country over a $220 million fine.
The fine, issued last year by Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), stemmed from alleged violations of competition laws. Meta challenged the decision in court, but its appeal was dismissed by a judge in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
In addition to the FCCPC penalty, Meta has also faced fines from Nigeria’s Data Protection Commission and the Advertising Regulatory Council, prompting the company to decry what it called unfair legal interpretations by the regulatory bodies.
In a recent statement, Meta said it “may be forced to effectively shut down Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures,” Semafor reports. Notably, the company did not mention WhatsApp, which remains a widely used platform in the country.
Nigeria’s consumer watchdog responded by warning that Meta’s threat does not relieve the company of “liabilities resulting from the outcome of a judicial process.”
Meta's platforms are deeply embedded in Nigeria's digital economy. WhatsApp alone has an estimated 51 million users in the country, while Facebook and Instagram are heavily used by individuals and small business owners to market and sell products.
