Report has emerged that the imposition of $220 million fine on WhatsApp for a data privacy breach by Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission may lead the Meta-owned company to suspend its operations in the country.
On top of the fine, the FCCPC directed WhatsApp to cease sharing user data with other Facebook companies and third parties without explicit user consent.
The commission also mandated WhatsApp to disclose details about its data collection practices and to enhance user control over data usage.
As result of the regulatory demands, Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, is reportedly contemplating withdrawing certain services from Nigeria.
“We want to be clear that, technically, based on the order, it would be impossible to provide WhatsApp in Nigeria or globally,” a WhatsApp spokesperson reportedly told TechCabal in a correspondence by email.
“This order contains multiple inaccuracies and misrepresents how WhatsApp works. WhatsApp relies on limited data to run our service and keep users safe, and it would be impossible to provide WhatsApp in Nigeria or globally without Meta’s infrastructure. We are urgently appealing the order to avoid any impact on users,” the statement as per the report added.
