Meta threatens to shut down Facebook, Instagram in Nigeria amid fine dispute

Meta has vowed to fight Nigerian fines for various consumer data violations, reportedly threatening to cut off Facebook and Instagram in Africa's most populous country.

A Nigerian tribunal last week rejected the US social media giant's appeal against a $220 million fine imposed by the country's consumer protection agency, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).

In appeals court papers cited by various media outlets, Meta said it "may be forced to effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures".

Meta’s social media platforms —- WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram -- are among the most popular in the country.

‘Invasive practices’

Meta has until the end of June to pay the fine, Nigerian media reported.

"We disagree with the NDPC's (Nigerian Data Protection Commission) decision, which fails to take into account the wide range of settings and tools that allow everyone using Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria to control how their information is used," a Meta spokesperson told AFP news agency.

"We're committed to protecting user privacy and have appealed the decision," the company spokesperson said in an email response.

Nigeria had accused Meta of violating the country's data protection and consumer rights laws on Facebook and WhatsApp.

FCCPC chief executive officer Adamu Abdullahi had said investigations carried out in conjunction with the NDPC between May 2021 and December 2023 revealed "invasive practices against data subjects/consumers in Nigeria".

Threat does not ‘absolve’ Meta

A WhatsApp spokesperson told AFP on Saturday: "The FCCPC order contains multiple inaccuracies and misrepresents how WhatsApp works, and we are urgently applying to stay the order and appeal the Tribunal's decision to avoid any impact to users."

On Saturday, the FCCPC described Meta's reaction as "a calculated move aimed at inducing negative public reaction and potentially pressuring the FCCPC to reconsider its decision".

In its statement it said that Meta had been sanctioned for "similar breaches" in Texas, India, South Korea, France and Australia, but had "never resorted to the blackmail of threatening to exit those countries. They obeyed".

"Threatening to leave Nigeria does not absolve Meta of liabilities for the outcome of a judicial process," the statement read.

Nigeria had some 164.3 million internet subscriptions as of March, according to figures published on the National Communication Commission's website.