The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, says the threat by WhatsApp to exit Nigeria due to the Commission’s recent order will not exonerate the company from the outcome of a judicial process.
FCCPC, in a statement signed by Mr Ondaje Ijagwu, the Director, Corporate Affairs in Abuja on Saturday, said the Meta Parties should take steps to comply with Nigeria’s law.
Ijagwu described the threat as a calculated move aimed at inducing a negative public reaction and potentially pressuring the FCCPC to reconsider its decision.
He said the recent affirmation of FCCPC’s final order by the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal required Meta Parties to stop exploiting Nigerian consumers and change their practices to meet Nigerian standards consistent with international best practices.
Ijagwu said the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal had awarded $220 million against Meta Platforms Incorporated and WhatsApp as an administrative penalty for the violations.
The tribunal further awarded 35,000 dollars to the FCCPC as the cost of the investigation.
”The FCCPC investigated Meta Platforms and WhatsApp (jointly referred to as “Meta Parties”) for allegedly violating the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation.
”The Commission found that Meta Parties engaged in multiple and repeated infringements of the FCCPA (2018) and the NDPR.
”These infringements include denying Nigerians the right to control their personal data, transferring and sharing Nigerian user data without authorisation.
”Others are discriminating against Nigerian users compared to users in other jurisdictions and abusing their dominant market position by forcing unfair privacy policies,” he said.
Ijagwu said that Meta had been fined for similar breaches in Texas ($ 1.5 billion) and only recently was asked to pay 1.3 billion dollars for violating European Union Data Privacy Rules.
He said that Meta had faced penalties in India, South Korea, France, and Australia for similar breaches.
According to him, Meta never resorted to the blackmail of threatening to exit those countries rather, they obeyed.
Ijagwu said that FCCPC remained committed to its pursuit of consumer protection and data privacy toward ensuring a fairer digital market in the country.
