A country imposed a fine of Rs 1830 crore on Mark Zuckerberg; Know why

Meta Platform, the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp, has been dealt a severe setback in Nigeria. The Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal of the country dismissed the appeal of Meta, upholding a fine of $220 million (approximately ₹1,830 crores).

The penalty was levied by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) in 2023. The measure was taken following a joint investigation, which was carried out together with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission and unearthed a number of data breaches of consumers.

According to FCCPC spokesperson Ondaje Ijeagwu, the tribunal found that Meta and WhatsApp committed several unlawful acts, including unauthorized sharing of Nigerian users' data, discriminatory data handling, and abuse of their market dominance. These actions were found to be in violation of Nigeria's consumer protection and data privacy laws. In addition, Meta will also have to pay an additional $35,000 for the costs incurred in the FCCPC investigation.

Meta has denied all the allegations and disagreed with the verdict. A WhatsApp spokesperson clarified the company's position in an email after the fine was announced in June 2024, although, according to local media reports, Meta will have to pay the fine by the end of June 2025. As of March 2025, more than 164 million internet subscriptions have been recorded in Nigeria, making it one of the largest markets in Africa for Meta.

The case is another link in Meta's growing legal problems globally. Earlier, the European Union had fined Meta €200 million (about ₹ 1,800 crores) over Facebook and Instagram's controversial "pay or consent" model.