One week after Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) imposed a $220 million fine on WhatsApp for a data privacy violation, Meta, the company that owns WhatsApp, is considering suspending its operations in Nigeria due to additional regulatory demands.
Sources close to the matter suggest that Meta is contemplating pulling some services from Nigeria.
In addition to the hefty fine, the FCCPC has mandated that WhatsApp stop sharing user data with other Facebook companies and third parties without explicit consent. The commission also requires WhatsApp to provide detailed information on its data collection practices and to improve user control over data usage.
In response, a WhatsApp spokesperson emailed TechCabal, “We want to be clear that, technically, based on the order, it would be impossible to provide WhatsApp in Nigeria or globally.” The spokesperson criticized the FCCPC’s order as flawed, asserting that it inaccurately portrays WhatsApp’s data handling and would necessitate significant changes to the platform’s infrastructure.
Meta has not addressed the FCCPC’s allegations regarding user opt-out options from the 2021 privacy policy but maintains that the update does not involve sharing user data. The company’s privacy policy states, “While traditionally mobile carriers and operators store this information, we believe that keeping these records for two billion users would be both a privacy and security risk and we don’t do it.”
The potential suspension of WhatsApp could significantly impact individuals and small businesses in Nigeria, many of whom depend on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook for customer engagement.
Some privacy lawyers have questioned the FCCPC’s use of the National Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) as the basis for the fine. Enacted in 2019 by the National Information Technology Development Agency, the NDPR is Nigeria’s main data protection framework. Two unnamed lawyers have expressed doubts about the NDPR’s authority in such a high-stakes matter and questioned whether a government regulation can be considered definitive in privacy issues.
…………….
Note : To submit Press Releases, Statements, and Advert Inquiries for publication on Waffi blog (website) or Television 📺, please use the following contact details: You can send an email to info@waffitv.com or reach us via Whatsapp at 07068286500
