Meta Platforms was fined $220 million by a Nigerian antitrust agency which found the company violated data and privacy laws by sharing WhatsApp user information with its Facebook subsidiary and third parties without consent.

The Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission stated it commenced an inquiry into WhatsApp’s new privacy policy that became operational on 15 May 2021. The commission found Meta-owned WhatsApp imposed the policy on Nigerian users without following the country’s standards of fairness.

Meta and WhatsApp sent the commission a remedy package to address the commission’s concerns on 19 April but the authority stated it was “not convinced that the proposed remedies satisfy the concerns that prompted the present investigation”.

Meta is required to immediately reinstate the rights of Nigerian users to self-determine and control the use, processing, sharing or transfer of their data.

It is also ordered to ensure that its privacy policy complies with the applicable data protection laws and to immediately stop the process of sharing WhatsApp user’s information with Facebook companies and third parties.

Meta has 60 days to pay the fine.