Social media service provider, WhatsApp says its parent body, Meta, will be appealing the $220 million fine imposed by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) regarding its violation of Nigeria’s data privacy laws.
The organisation disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos.
Part of the statement reads, “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”.
According to the statement released to the media, the FCCPC’s final order imposed a monetary penalty of two hundred and twenty million U.S. Dollars only, on Meta.
The penalty is by the FCCPA 2018, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection (Administrative Penalties) Regulations 2020,” the statement said.
The FCCPC announced that it initiated its investigation in May 2021, based on evidence suggesting that Meta, through its platforms, had breached the provisions of the FCCPA 2018 and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation 2019.
It stated that these regulations were in effect prior to the enactment and implementation of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
