Nigeria Probes Meta, Google Over Media Exploitation Claims

The Federal Government of Nigeria has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies, including Meta, Alphabet, and X (formerly Twitter), regarding alleged anti-competitive practices that exploit content belonging to Nigerian media organizations. This directive follows a joint petition submitted to President Bola Tinubu by the Nigerian Press Organization (NPO), which includes the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON), and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).

The FCCPC, led by Commissioner Tunji Bello, is expected to conduct an independent and transparent investigation to determine whether these companies have engaged in practices that undermine fair competition and weaken the commercial viability of Nigerian media outfits. The inquiry will also address claims of unauthorized extraction and use of copyrighted content to develop AI models.

This investigation follows a previous case against Meta, which resulted in a landmark judgment in 2025, where the company was fined 220 million for violating the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) and data privacy breaches.