The Nigerian government imposed a hefty $2.2 million fine on Meta, the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp, on July 20, according to a report by the Associated Press. The fine was the result of an investigation that found Meta had repeatedly violated the country’s data protection and consumer rights laws.

The fine was imposed after an investigation found that Meta had violated the country’s data protection regulations.

Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCPC) has outlined some specific violations identified during its investigation, including unauthorized sharing of Nigerian user data, deprivation of consumers’ right to control their own data, engagement in discriminatory practices and abuse of a dominant market position.

In a statement, the Director General of the FCCPC, Adamu Abdullahi, said the commission was satisfied with the evidence gathered and confirmed that Meta had had ample opportunity to resolve these issues. “The committee has now issued a final order and penalised the Met party,” Abdullahi said.

The hefty fine follows another one Meta faced last month. In June, Italy’s antitrust authority (AGCM) fined Meta 3.5 million euros (about 27.74 million yuan) for unfair business practices. The AGCM’s investigation found that Meta did not obtain explicit user consent to collect and use data for commercial purposes during the Instagram sign-up process. The Italian regulator also found that Meta did not provide users with adequate communication channels to appeal the suspension of their Facebook and Instagram accounts. While the AGCM said Meta has fixed the practice, the consequences of these policy violations are becoming increasingly apparent. Source