The US Tech Giant Meta – Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp’s original company – vowed to fight the huge fine issued by the authorities for regulatory violations in Nigeria earlier this month.
After a Nigerian tribunal in April, it rejected Meta’s appeal against the country’s Consumer Protection Agency, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) against $ 220 million (€ 202 million) imposed last year.
FCCPC CEO Admu Abdullahi said that between 2021 and December 2023, the investigation was conducted in collaboration with the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC), “Data themes/aggressive practices against consumers in Nigeria were detected”.
FCCPC accused Mata of discriminatory practices, misused the market dominance, shared personal data of Nigerians without the authority and the Nigerians rejected the right to determine how their data is used.
A Meta spokesman told the AFP news agency that they “disagree with the NDPC’s decision, which fails to keep in mind the wide range of settings and tools that allow us to use Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria every time to use their information.”
“We are committed to protect the user privacy and appeal to the decision.”
Material moderation sparks legal action
Meanwhile, according to the British Daily MentorAre lawyers Preparation to sue Mejreel, Tech Contractor Taylorforms owned by Meta, which is paid for material moderation by meta.
Content Moders, who worked for Major in Akra, the capital of Ghana, told Mentor That they are suffering from depression, anxiety, insomnia and drug abuse. They believe that this material is the direct result of their work as models. So they claim that psychological support introduced to help harass social media content was insufficient.
Taylorformance allegedly denies the thesis allegations. As MentorThe company appoints its own mental health professionals, who are registered with the local supervisory authority. DW asked Mejreel to comment but received no response.
In September 2024, a Kenya court ruled that Meta could be prosecuted, allowing court cases and arbitration proceedings.
Call for strong regulatory structure
Africa is a growing market for Tech, in which more companies establish operations on the continent compared to elsewhere worldwide. Beyond opportunities for development and expansion for global technical firms, the African continent offers IE cheap laboratory and millions of multicultural and various users.
However, unlike Europe, justifying technical companies in Africa, is complicated by the weak enforcement of Lax and data security laws, which are similar to the General Data Safety Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union.
“This is a transfer scenario,” said Akintande Babatunde, an executive director of a think tank Center for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID). He said that “whatever happens with those cases, he will set an example of what will be a playbook for many other countries on the continent.”
Babatunde credited this for the development of Tech company over the years.
“Tech platforms are no longer neutral platforms. They work as a digital infrastructure for activism, social movements, public sector and even digital economy,” Hair said, “Hair said, for regulatory framework for technical platforms in Africa, with other basic amenits.
“We should think in the way we are in the form of necessary utilities or as airports which are central for life. And the way airports are regulated local and globally by aviation bodies at local and globally, requiring a similar outline for technical platforms. [on the continent],
‘GBENGA SESAN, Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, working for NGOs working to connect the young Africans with digital opportunities, told DW that thesis is beyond increasing the decisions of African countries, which aims to promote regulatory revenue.
Some African countries are already securing price chains by strengthening their data laws. For example, Nigeria’s Data Protection Agency says it produced more than $ 1.2 million in regulatory revenue within the last two years.
“Many countries in Africa have seen what has happened in India, Europe and other regions, and thinking that ‘these companies are collecting our data and not paying anything for it”. This is an important factor factor fine. But the thesis is not called fine.
“It is important that each company, including meta and others, know that if data privacy laws are not followed, it will result in consequences.”
what happens next?
Although it seems that Africa is gradually taking matters in their hands, there is still a lot of apprehension about governments on the continent using digital regulation and privacy laws to suppress the sounds of technical accountability.
In recent years, young Africans have used platforms owned by global technical companies, discovered as Facebook and X (East Twitter), so that they can make their governments accountable.
The ‘General Z protest’ in Kenya began with a hashtag on X before being converted into a movement, which eventually forces the authorities to return to a controversial finance bill.
In 2021, the Nigerian government suspended X, when the forum removed a post from former President Muhammadu Buhari, threatening to punish the regional seconds.
While he gave the thesis suppressive tasks as a “real problem”, Gabenga said that some African governments attack these platforms “because they are used by the opposition,” and as a search, “as a search,” the trends for governments to use that excuse and restrict the platforms that citizens have used significant form to disrupting the voices. ,
Stephanie Hopper contributed reporting
Edited by: Keith Walker
