$220m Fine: Nigerian agency accuses WhatsApp of attempting to sway public opinions

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection (FCCPC) has said it will not be forced to reconsider the $220 million data privacy violation fine against WhatsApp- a social media platform.

In a statement posted on its X handle on Thursday,, the agency noted that WhatsApp’s claim that it may be forced to exit the country due to the fine “appears to be a strategic move aimed at influencing public opinion and potentially pressuring the FCCPC to reconsider its decision.”

This is in response to a report published by TechCabal that the instant messaging App may withdraw its service over the regulator’s demand.

“We want to be really clear that technically, based on the order, it would be impossible to provide WhatsApp in Nigeria or globally,” a spokesperson for WhatsApp told the medium.

Data privacy violation

WhatsApp owned by Meta Platform Incorporation was investigated for an alleged violation of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).

WhatsApp was fined after a three-year investigation alleging that the company’s privacy policy was “foisted” on users.

According to the statement, the regulator found that Meta Parties (WhatsApp) engaged in multiple and repeated infringements of the FCCPA and the NDPR laws.

The agency said at the time that: “These infringements included denying Nigerians the right to control their personal data, transferring and sharing Nigerian user data without authorisation, discriminating against Nigerian users compared to users in other jurisdictions and abusing their dominant market position by forcing unfair privacy policies.

“The final order requires Meta Parties to take steps to comply with Nigerian law, stop exploiting Nigerian consumers, change their practices to meet Nigerian standards and respect consumer rights.

“To deter future violations and ensure accountability for the alleged infringements the FCCPC also imposed a monetary penalty of $220 million.”

The regulator reiterated that the decision to enforce the consumer protection law is a positive step towards a fairer digital market in Nigeria.

The commission also noted Nigeria’s case will not be different as similar measures are taken in other countries without forcing digital companies to leave the market.

In a recent lawsuit, WhatsApp parent company agreed to pay $1.4 billion in the United States over allegations of illegal biometric data collection without the user’s consent.