The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC has explained why it fined Meta platforms, and WhatsApp LLC $200 million.
FCCPC said the fine awas based
on discriminatory practices and sanctionable offences committed.
The acting Executive Vice
Chairman of the Commission, Dr Adamu Abdullahi, at a news conference in Abuja
on Tuesday, said the penalty was slammed on the companies after three years of
intensive investigations.
Abdullahi said the companies
were found culpable of denying Nigerian data subjects the right to self-determination,
unauthorised transfer and sharing of personal data which was not the practice
in other climes.
He said the companies gave
options to data subjects in other climes to decide whether their data would be
shared or not.
”Only last week, FCCPC issued a
final order and imposed a monetary penalty of $220,000,000.00 (Two Hundred and
Twenty Million USD) against Meta Platforms Inc. and WhatsApp LLC over discriminatory
practices in Nigeria.
”This is an investigation that
has taken place for the past three years and I was part of it.
”We found out that when you
register for the first time to join WhatsApp, there is a column that says you
have agreed for your data to be shared for research.
”That is opposed to other
climes where you have the choice of saying yes or no so, that is discriminatory
at the first instance.
”Secondly, we found out that
they share our data across platforms,” he said.
He said the Commission was
already getting international accolades for the investigation and sanction.
On his achievements through his
seven months tenure as the acting EVC of the Commission, he said that FCCPC
implemented measures to curb price gouging, promote fair competition and protect
consumers.
Abdullahi said the Commission
had also carried out a review of the stand-alone curriculum for consumer
education in secondary schools across the country.
He said the Commission
introduced sensitisation for traditional and religious leaders and other
stakeholders to enhance capacity and empower them as consumer protection agents
in their localities.
According to him, the most
common consumer complaints in the electricity industry include exploitative
billing, unlawful disconnection, non-metering of customers, lack of
transformers and other salient issues.
Abdullahi said the Commission
would continue to work tirelessly to promote competition and protect consumers
to create a vibrant economy that would benefit both businesses and citizens.
Recall that the FCCPC published
its final order in which it imposed a penalty of $220 million and a
reimbursement fee of $35,000 on WhatsApp LLC and Meta Platforms, Inc.
The penalty is for violations
of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, FCCPA, and the Nigeria
Data Protection Regulation, NDPR, following a joint investigation conducted by
the FCCPC and Nigerian Data Protection Commission, NDPC.
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