Meta Platforms Inc, parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApphas reportedly threatened to suspend Facebook and Instagram in response to proposed fines for alleged consumer data violations.
While WhatsApp was not mentioned in the statement, Nigerian authorities have accused Meta of contravening the country’s data protection and consumer rights laws on both Facebook and WhatsApp.
The warning followed a decision last week by a Nigerian tribunal to reject Meta’s appeal against a US$220 million fine imposed in 2024 by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). Meta has until the end of June to settle that penalty.
According to the BBC, Meta “may be forced to effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures.”
Meta also challenged the findings of FCCPC and Nigeria Data Protection Commission investigations, conducted between May 2021 and December 2023, which it says contained “invasive practices against data subjects/consumers in Nigeria.” The company argued that the reports misrepresented how WhatsApp operates.
In Ghana, however, lawyers are investigating reports of “dire” workplace conditions for Meta’s content moderators. Allegations include exposure to “distressing” and “bloody” material without sufficient mental health support, as well as claims that employees were dismissed for attempting to unionise.
This inquiry follows several labour-related lawsuits over conditions at Meta’s now-closed moderation hub in Nairobi, which, like the Ghana facility, was operated by a third-party contractor.
