WhatsApp, a division of Meta, plans to appeal a $220 million fine imposed by Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) for alleged data privacy violations, arguing that the fine is unreasonable and should be contested in court.
The fine stems from allegations that WhatsApp violated Nigeria’s strict data privacy legislation. The FCCPC inquiry concluded that WhatsApp’s data management policies were not transparent enough, raising concerns about the privacy and security of user information.
In a statement, Dr. Adamu Abdullahi, acting Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive of the FCCPC, stated that a joint investigation by the Commission and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has evolved between May 2021 and December 2023, examining Meta Parties’ conduct, privacy policies, and practices.
Meta Parties have partially responded to document requests and summons under the joint investigation by providing some evidence.
”Meta Parties by themselves, and retained counsels have also repeatedly engaged with, and met with investigators and analysts from the Commission, and the NDPC, including as recently as April 4, 2024.
“The totality of the investigation has concluded that Meta Parties over a protracted period of time have engaged in conduct that constitute multiple and repeated, as well as continuing infringements of the FCCPA and NDPR, particularly, but not limited to abusive, and invasive practices against data subjects/consumers in Nigeria, such as appropriating personal data or information without consent, discriminatory practices against Nigerian data subjects/consumers or disparate treatment of consumers/data subjects compared with  other jurisdictions with similar regulatory frameworks, abuse of dominant market position by forcing unscrupulous, exploitative, and non-compliant privacy policies which appropriated consumer personal information without the option or opportunity to self-determine or otherwise withhold or provide consent to the gathering, use, and/or sharing of such personal data.”
This is not the first time WhatsApp has faced criticism for its privacy standards. In Europe, the Irish Data Protection Commission already penalized the corporation €225 million for similar breaches with openness and data handling. These trials reflect a global trend of regulators imposing stronger data privacy restrictions on major technology corporations.
WhatsApp disagreed with the verdict and the penalties in a statement provided on Saturday to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), claiming its data methods respect user privacy and comply with international norms.
The organization argues that the ruling is incorrect and will appeal the decision. “In 2021, we went to users globally to explain how talking to businesses among other things would work and while there was a lot of confusion then, it has proven quite popular.”
WhatsApp insists that its services are secure, and that user data is protected through end-to-end encryption.The post Meta Division Appeals a $220 Million Fine in Nigeria first appeared on IT News Africa | Business Technology, Telecoms and Startup News.