Meta fighting Nigerian fines, warns could shut Facebook, Instagram / Photo: NOAH BERGER - AFP/File
CMSC
0.0900
The Prague Post - Meta fighting Nigerian fines, warns could shut Facebook, Instagram
EUR
-
AED 4.298411
AFN 80.848329
ALL 97.660061
AMD 448.846241
ANG 2.09445
AOA 1073.146765
ARS 1490.94381
AUD 1.79484
AWG 2.109431
AZN 1.991025
BAM 1.956002
BBD 2.362943
BDT 142.480417
BGN 1.9561
BHD 0.441151
BIF 3488.059346
BMD 1.170281
BND 1.500255
BOB 8.086833
BRL 6.51998
BSD 1.170321
BTN 101.061412
BWP 16.313681
BYN 3.829995
BYR 22937.499063
BZD 2.350842
CAD 1.599709
CDF 3377.430105
CHF 0.932836
CLF 0.029081
CLP 1115.956442
CNY 8.397888
CNH 8.396634
COP 4722.585298
CRC 590.26081
CUC 1.170281
CUP 31.012435
CVE 110.273063
CZK 24.624578
DJF 208.191448
DKK 7.466448
DOP 70.637277
DZD 151.852654
EGP 57.451067
ERN 17.554208
ETB 162.356126
FJD 2.635826
FKP 0.867102
GBP 0.867734
GEL 3.171696
GGP 0.867102
GHS 12.200257
GIP 0.867102
GMD 83.678408
GNF 10153.742385
GTQ 8.981925
GYD 244.845224
HKD 9.186626
HNL 30.629155
HRK 7.537425
HTG 153.575822
HUF 399.280416
IDR 19089.850623
ILS 3.919825
IMP 0.867102
INR 101.146057
IQD 1533.057938
IRR 49283.4483
ISK 142.434345
JEP 0.867102
JMD 187.669334
JOD 0.829734
JPY 172.261202
KES 151.855558
KGS 102.340977
KHR 4690.483222
KMF 493.857789
KPW 1053.288792
KRW 1622.008808
KWD 0.357282
KYD 0.9753
KZT 624.43433
LAK 25239.600229
LBP 104859.602826
LKR 353.018827
LRD 234.644173
LSL 20.602623
LTL 3.455534
LVL 0.707891
LYD 6.340464
MAD 10.543471
MDL 19.848045
MGA 5180.533708
MKD 61.564501
MMK 2456.363932
MNT 4200.462756
MOP 9.462875
MRU 46.449785
MUR 53.235831
MVR 18.019336
MWK 2029.309063
MXN 21.832719
MYR 4.952046
MZN 74.850385
NAD 20.602623
NGN 1792.143945
NIO 43.063149
NOK 11.889056
NPR 161.698658
NZD 1.963426
OMR 0.449999
PAB 1.170321
PEN 4.167005
PGK 4.91936
PHP 66.610061
PKR 333.501434
PLN 4.257423
PYG 8899.650693
QAR 4.266812
RON 5.071414
RSD 117.208305
RUB 91.721498
RWF 1691.674279
SAR 4.390103
SBD 9.695886
SCR 17.333586
SDG 702.769843
SEK 11.214073
SGD 1.499521
SHP 0.919657
SLE 26.916275
SLL 24540.202914
SOS 668.868908
SRD 42.920017
STD 24222.444896
STN 24.502524
SVC 10.239749
SYP 15215.82151
SZL 20.609123
THB 37.719898
TJS 11.234957
TMT 4.107685
TND 3.427353
TOP 2.74092
TRY 47.308557
TTD 7.947819
TWD 34.43788
TZS 3042.729269
UAH 48.887674
UGX 4199.432633
USD 1.170281
UYU 47.254868
UZS 14749.519522
VES 136.88189
VND 30596.985357
VUV 138.992756
WST 3.085016
XAF 656.024585
XAG 0.030046
XAU 0.000345
XCD 3.162742
XCG 2.109217
XDR 0.81669
XOF 656.004963
XPF 119.331742
YER 281.978836
ZAR 20.578541
ZMK 10533.934167
ZMW 27.063788
ZWL 376.829864
- US Treasury chief says no reason for Fed chair to step down
- Coca-Cola plans US cane sugar alternative after Trump push
- US to leave UN cultural body, citing 'national interest'
- India's Gill accuses England of ignoring 'spirit of the game' by time-wasting
- Heat forces new Acropolis closure amid fiery temperatures
- US Treasury chief eyes China tariff deadline extension in talks next week
- Mbeumo thrilled to follow in Ronaldo's footsteps at 'biggest club in the world' Man Utd
- Alcaraz withdraws from Toronto event for Wimbledon recovery
- Markets mixed as investors eye earnings and Trump tariffs
- India's Gill accuses England of ignoring 'spirit of the game' with time-wasting
Meta fighting Nigerian fines, warns could shut Facebook, Instagram
Meta on Saturday 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, including the BBC and The Africa Report, 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.
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.
"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".
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.
W.Urban--TPP
