As a Nigerian resident using WhatsApp on a daily basis, this information would definitely interest you. As it turns out, the FCCPC (Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission) in Nigeria imposed a hefty fine of approximately $220 million on WhatsApp for allegedly abusing and exploiting the data apprehension of their users. A tribunal has recently supported the fine on the grounds WhatsApp or Meta parent company at times inadvertently adopted exploitative data capturing techniques that could have hurt Nigerians.
Nonetheless, WhatsApp seems far from backing down. They issued a statement claiming that they have already moved to stay the order pending appeal. The company further alleged that “decided out of many things inaccurately which fundamentally undermines the working of the app.” WhatsApp contends that they rely on essential data – data that is pertinent to the operation of Meta’s infrastructure. If it did not have Meta’s technological backbone, it would have been impossible to maintain WhatsApp operations in Nigeria or indeed in any region of the globe.
As for the rest of us, what implications does this have? At this point, there are no changes being implemented, but should opposition prevail, there could be an impact on the future functionalities of the app. This case highlights the fact that our rights as citizens, data privacy, and other aspects of modern life appear to be rapidly evolving without our consent or awareness.