Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, has threatened to discontinue their services in Nigeria.
The corporation ascribed its threat to what it called “unrealistic” regulatory expectations from local authorities.
Three Nigerian oversight authorities fined the digital behemoth more than $290 million (£218 million) last year for breaking competition, advertising, and data protection regulations.
Meta’s efforts to challenge the sanctions in a Federal High Court in Abuja were unsuccessful.
In court documents acquired by The BBC, the corporation stated that it may have to take down Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria “to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures.”
Although Meta owns WhatsApp, the messaging service was not referenced in court documents.
The court gave the corporation till the end of June to pay the fines.
Facebook remains Nigeria’s most widely used social media platform, with tens of millions relying on it for communication, news, and business especially among small online entrepreneurs.
The penalties were issued last July. The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) fined Meta $220 million for alleged anti-competitive practices.
The advertising regulator imposed a $37.5 million penalty for running unapproved ads. And the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) levied a $32.8 million fine for alleged data privacy violations.
Adamu Abdullahi, FCCPC chief executive, said investigations conducted alongside the NDPC between May 2021 and December 2023 revealed “invasive practices against data subjects/consumers in Nigeria,” although he did not detail the specific infractions.
In its legal filings, Meta said its “primary concern” lies with the NDPC, which it accused of “misinterpreting” Nigeria’s data protection framework.
Among the NDPC’s most controversial demands is a requirement that Meta seek prior approval before transferring any personal data out of Nigeria, a condition the company described as “unrealistic.”
The commission also required Meta to display a symbol that directs users to data privacy education content prepared in partnership with government-approved institutions and non-profit organizations.
These materials must explain the risks of “manipulative and unfair data processing,” including the possible harm to users’ health and finances.
Meta deemed these restrictions impossible, claiming that the NDPC failed to accurately understand the country’s data protection legislation.
