The Federal Government has imposed a $220 million fine on Meta Platforms Inc. for violating local consumer protection, data protection, and privacy laws on its Facebook and WhatsApp platforms.

The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Adama Abdullahi, announced the penalty through a statement on Friday.

“The sanction is in accordance with the FCCPA 2018 and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection (administrative penalties) Regulations 2020 (APR),” Abdullahi said.

The fine follows a joint investigation by the FCCPC and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) into Meta’s data-sharing practices between May 2021 and December 2023.

“The investigation revealed that Meta utilised the data of Nigerian users without obtaining proper consent,” Abdullahi explained.

The commission also accused Meta of abusing its market dominance and treating Nigerian users differently from users in other countries with similar regulations.

Meta has not yet provided any comment on the fine or the FCCPC’s allegations.