Meta plans Facebook, Instagram shutdown in Nigeria over $300M fines

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has warned it may shut down these platforms in Nigeria due to nearly $300 million in fines imposed by three Nigerian regulatory agencies for alleged anti-competitive practices, unapproved advertising, and data privacy violations. The company recently lost appeals challenging these penalties, and a federal high court has ordered Meta to pay the fines by the end of June. Nigerian authorities have also demanded that Meta obtain explicit approval before transferring user data out of the country and add educational links about data risks on its platforms, requirements Meta argues are excessive and impractical. Facebook is widely used in Nigeria for communication and by small businesses, making the potential shutdown highly consequential. Meta claims that ongoing regulatory demands and enforcement risks make continued operation in Nigeria untenable without resolution. The dispute highlights broader tensions between global tech firms and national regulators over data privacy and digital oversight.