Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has threatened to shut down its services in Nigeria due to large fines and “unrealistic” regulatory demands imposed by the Nigerian authorities.
The company faces fines totaling over $290m for alleged violations of various laws and regulations, including anti-competitive practices and data privacy breaches.
Meta has been unsuccessful in challenging the decisions in court and has been given until the end of June to pay the fines.
The company claims that the demands are unfeasible and that it may be forced to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures.
The fines were imposed by three Nigerian oversight agencies, including the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), the advertising regulator, and the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
The NDPC’s demands, including prior approval for data transfers and educational videos on data privacy risks, have been particularly contentious.
The potential shutdown of Facebook in Nigeria would have significant implications for the country’s tens of millions of users and small online businesses that rely on the platform.
