Nigeria has fined Meta Platforms $220 million (€202 million) after investigations showed data-sharing on its Facebook and WhatsApp platforms violated local consumer, data protection and privacy laws, the head of the country’s competition watchdog, Adama Abdullahi, said on Friday.

Nigeria's Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) said Meta appropriated the data of Nigerian users on its platforms without their consent, abused its market dominance, and meted out discriminatory and disparate treatment on Nigerians, compared with other jurisdictions with similar regulations.

Meta did not immediately comment.

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024