By Funmilayo Akinyemi
Social media platform, WhatsApp, has disagreed with the ruling of Nigeria’s Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal, affirming the $220m fine imposed on its by the Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
WhatsApp announced this in a statement on Saturday in Lagos in reaction to the Tribunal’s decision.
It said it would urgently apply to stay the order and appeal the ruling of Nigeria’s Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal against it.
247nextnews.com reports that the Tribunal had on Friday upheld the $220 million penalty initially imposed on WhatsApp by the FCCPC, over alleged discriminatory data practices within Nigeria.
The Tribunal ordered WhatsApp and its parent company, Meta Platforms Incorporated, to pay a significant penalty of $220 million, along with an additional $35,000 to the FCCPC.
It also mandated a payment of $35,000 to the Commission as reimbursement for the expenses incurred during its investigation into the social media conglomerate.
The Tribunal also dismissed an appeal filed by WhatsApp and Meta Platforms Incorporated to challenge the $220 million penalty.
WhatsApp, however, emphasised its disagreement with the Tribunal’s order, noting that the FCCPC order contained multiple inaccuracies and misrepresented how the platform works.
“We are urgently applying to stay the order and appeal today’s decision to avoid any impact to users.
“WhatsApp relies on limited data to run its service and keep users safe and it will be impossible to provide WhatsApp in Nigeria, or globally, without the infrastructure of our parent company, Meta,” it said.
