WhatsApp may cease operations in Nigeria as a result of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (FCCPC) further requests, which come one week after the commission fined the company $220 million for violating data privacy laws.
According to at least four persons with knowledge of the conversation, Meta was contemplating “withdrawing certain services” from Nigeria.
A WhatsApp representative claims that the new order is inaccurate in various ways and mistakenly displays the platform.
“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 spokesperson said.
In addition to the hefty punishment, the FCCPC has mandated that the instant messaging service cease disclosing user information to other Facebook businesses and outside parties without the express agreement of the user.
The Commission is further requesting that the instant messaging service improve user control over data usage and reveal information about its data-gathering procedures.
Whatsapp’s withdrawal from Nigeria would have far-reaching effects on users and proprietors of small businesses.
Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are the main platforms used by SMEs to connect with potential clients.
In response, the instant messaging spokesperson told TechCabal, “We want to be clear that, technically, based on the order, it would be impossible to provide WhatsApp in Nigeria or globally.”
“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 added.
We earlier reported that Meta had removed thousands of accounts linked to Nigerian criminality that were seeking to target users in the United States with financial sextortion scams.
