Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, has announced its intention to appeal the $220 million fine imposed by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) for data privacy violations.
The company disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.
“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 actually proven quite popular,” a spokesperson from WhatsApp said.
“We disagree with the decision today as well as the fine and Meta will be appealing the decision.”
The FCCPC imposed the substantial fine on Meta on July 19, citing multiple data privacy violations. Adamu Abdullahi, the commission’s acting executive chairman, stated that the penalty follows a comprehensive joint investigation by the FCCPC and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) into Meta’s privacy practices and policies over a 38-month period, from May 2021 to December 2023.
“The penalty is in accordance with the FCCPA 2018, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection (Administrative Penalties) Regulations 2020,” Abdullahi said in a statement.
The investigation reportedly revealed that Meta had engaged in practices that were deemed abusive and invasive towards data consumers in Nigeria. Despite Meta’s efforts to comply with document requests and summons by providing some information, the FCCPC found sufficient evidence to justify the hefty fine.
The commission noted that Meta’s representatives and retained legal counsel had consistently engaged with and met investigators and analysts from both the FCCPC and the NDPC, including as recently as April 4.
