Meta has threatened to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria after being fined nearly $300 million by multiple government agencies.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) imposed a $220 million fine for alleged discriminatory practices, while ARCON demanded $37.5 million over unapproved ads, and the NDPC issued a $32.8 million penalty for a data breach.
Meta called the demands “unrealistic” and challenged them in court, but the Federal High Court in Abuja upheld the fines and ordered payment by the end of June.
Meta has signaled it may not comply.
“The applicant may be forced to effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures,” the company stated in court documents.
Responding to the NDPC’s assertion that Meta’s data processing could expose Nigerian users to health and financial risks, the company said the agency had failed to “properly interpret the laws guiding data privacy.”
