News
Data privacy violations and deactivated social media accounts
- /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Sonny-Aragba-Akpore.jpg&description=Data privacy violations and deactivated social media accounts', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Sonny-Aragba-Akpore.jpg&description=Data privacy violations and deactivated social media accounts', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
By Sonny Aragba-Akpore
A little over a week ago, the Federal Competitions & Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC)imposed a whopping $220m fine on Meta Group, owners of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
It’s offence, violation of data privacy of individuals and corporate customers.
Although, analysts see this as killing a fly with a sledge hammer, Meta Platforms justified the encroachment of privacy when it delisted and deactivated 63,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts allegedly being used by certain category of subscribers for scam activities including sextortion and what is commonly referred to as ”yahoo” in Nigeria, thus starting a battle that will only consume the beleaguered consumers.
In imposing the $220m fine FCCPC in a statement signed by its acting Executive Chairman, Adamu Abdullahi, said that Meta had denied Nigerian users control over their data, shared data without consent, and abused its market dominance.
It said, “The final order also imposes a monetary penalty of Two Hundred and Twenty Million U.S. Dollars only ($220,000,000.00) (at prevailing exchange rate where applicable) which penalty is in accordance with the FCCPA 2018, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection (Administrative Penalties) Regulations 2020.”
The FCCPC noted that this decision was reached after a joint investigation by it and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), which lasted for 38 months (May 2021 and December 2023). The investigation examined Meta’s conduct, privacy policies, and operations.
But a WhatsApp spokesperson said this decision will be appealed. “We disagree with both this decision and the fine and will appeal,” the spokesperson said.
“In 2021, we went to users globally to explain how talking to businesses among other things would work and while there was a lot of confusion then, it has proven quite popular,” the organisation said.
Acting Chairman of FCCPC stated that Meta was fined due to discriminatory practices and sanction-able offences, particularly the unauthorised transfer and sharing of personal data, which were not uniformly practiced in other regions.
“They provided options to data subjects in other regions to decide whether their data would be shared or not,” he said.
While elaborating on the specifics of the violation, FCCPC boss said “When you register for the first time to join WhatsApp, there is a column that says you have agreed for your data to be shared for research. This contrasts with other regions where users have the choice of saying yes or no, which is discriminatory.”
The Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023,is designed to protect the rights of data subjects by ensuring that personal data is processed in a fair, lawful and accountable manner;
promote data processing practices in Nigeria that guarantee the security of personal data and ensure the privacy of data subjects;
provide the legal framework for regulating and safeguarding personal data, and the means of recourse and remedies where the rights of data subjects have been breached;
ensure that data controllers and data processors fulfil their obligations to data subjects;”
The Act prohibits unlawful processing of personal information, which consists of personal data and sensitive personal data of natural persons.
For the purposes of the Act, “personal data” means any information relating directly or indirectly to an identified or identifiable individual, by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier,
or one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, psychological, cultural, social, or economic identity of that individual.
Data from DataReportal state that as at January 2024, no fewer than 36.75m Nigerians were connected to Facebook platform alone.
And Statista, a global research platform, ranked Nigeria as one of the top countries that spend time on social media, averaging a total of 04:20 hours on every social media platform visited.
The average social media user spends approximately two hours and 23 minutes daily on these platforms. Comparatively, in Africa, Kenya has an average of three hours and 43 minutes daily.
In terms of visited platforms,
YouTube has 28.50 million,
Snapchat 15million,Instagram 12.4 million,WhatsApp 10.6million,Linkedln 9.1million and X(Twitter) 5.75 million users.
It said, “This could be driven by the market generally having a younger population, with the 16 to 24 years segment driving growth globally.”
“The totality of the FCCPC investigation concludes that Meta over the protracted period of time has engaged in conduct that constituted multiple and repeated, as well as continuing infringements… particularly, but not limited to abusive, and invasive practices against data subjects in Nigeria,” Abdullahi said.
“Being satisfied with the significant evidence on the record, and that Meta has been provided every opportunity to articulate any position, representations, refutations, explanations or defences of their conduct, the Commission has now entered a final order and issued a penalty against Meta,” Abdullahi said.
In a similar vein,Osun and Delta States Internal Revenue Services (IRS) also imposed fines of $150m and $200m on Google and Meta Platforms respectively for alleged non remittances of WithHolding Tax(WHT) from content creators.
The fines were imposed after a 14-day grace period.
These fines cover a period from 2020 to 2024.
“The companies were issued a 14-days notice of compliance, effective July 12 and July 19 respectively, from the affected states.”
In separate letters signed by Ademola Odetunde, Chief Operating Officer, LafriquePromedia Ltd., the revenue collection agent for the states, were specifically addressed to the companies for failing to comply.
According to Odetunde, LafriquePromedia is also consulting for the IRS of Plateau, which is also facing the same challenge and coming up with similar demand.
Odetunde said that the states were demanding for the payment of 150 million dollars and 200 million dollars respectively, being assessed withholding tax deducted, but not remitted by the companies, at the rate of five per cent to the states.
He said that the revenue or payment were from digital services provided to content creators, practitioners in the entertainment and creative sector within Delta and Osun states.
In May, Turkey’s competition board fined Meta 1.2 billion lira following investigations on data-sharing on its Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp platforms.
Meta has faced pushback in Europe and other jurisdictions over alleged breaches of data protection laws. Meta’s plan to use personal data to train its artificial intelligence models without seeking consent has come under fire in Europe.
The Competition Commission South Africa also announced plans to investigate whether digital platforms, including Meta unfairly compete with news publishers by using their content to generate ad revenue.
Inspite of all these,Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced Wednesday last week that it has removed 63,000 accounts connected to alleged Nigerian cybercriminals involved in financial sextortion scams targeting users in the United States.
The decision is based on its Q1 2024 Adversarial Threat Report.
Meta said that the takedown included a smaller coordinated network of no fewer than 2,500 accounts linked to a group of roughly 20 individuals.
“These accounts primarily targeted adult men in the U.S., using fake profiles to conceal their identities,” Meta reported.
Meta utilized advanced technical signals and comprehensive investigations to identify and disable these accounts, thereby enhancing its automated detection systems.
“Financial sextortion is a global crime, driven in recent years by increased activity from Yahoo Boys—loosely organized cybercriminals allegedly operating mainly from Nigeria and specializing in various scams.
“We have removed around 63,000 accounts in Nigeria attempting financial sextortion, including a coordinated network of approximately 2,500 accounts,” Meta stated.
The company also dismantled a set of Facebook accounts, pages, and groups allegedly managed by Yahoo Boys, which were banned under its Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy for attempting to organize, recruit, and train new scammers.
Although,Meta Platforms appear very stiff about its decision to deactivate 63,000 accounts,a better strategy would have been employed to resolve the issues with FCCPC and The Data Protection Commission in Nigeria because as the saying goes “when two elephants clash,the grass suffers”.
Although it’s not clear whether,Meta sent warnings to alleged subscribers,it announced that it had also deleted thousands of additional accounts, pages, and groups that were distributing scripts on how to blackmail and sexually extort users.
“The Facebook accounts were involved in financial and sexual extortion scams, primarily targeting adult men in the United States.”
Nigerian alleged online fraudsters, often referred to as “Yahoo boys,” are notorious for various scams, including posing as individuals in financial distress or as Nigerian princes offering lucrative investment returns. In this instance, the scammers used fake accounts to mask their identities and engage in “sextortion,” threatening victims with the release of compromising photos unless they paid to prevent it.
Meta revealed that the removed accounts included a smaller, coordinated network of scammers.These scammers mainly targeted adult men in the U.S., but there were also attempts against minors, which Meta reported to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the U.S.
The investigation showed that most of the scammers’ attempts were unsuccessful.
Meta utilised new technical signals to identify and combat sextortion activities.
Additionally, some accounts were found to be providing tips and guides on conducting scams, as well as links to collections of photos for creating fake accounts.
Online scams have grown in Nigeria as economic hardships worsen in the country of more than 200 million people.
Scammers operate from various locations, including university dormitories, shanty suburbs, and affluent neighborhoods.
Sky watchers across Africa and other parts of the world are expected to witness a partial lunar eclipse on Friday, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The phenomenon, popularly known as a “blood moon,” will occur as the Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow, creating a striking reddish appearance during the eclipse.
NASA said the event will be visible in parts of the Americas, Europe, Africa and Western Asia between August 27 and 28, 2026.
According to the space agency, the eclipse will begin at 9:23pm Eastern Time when the Moon enters the outer region of the Earth’s shadow.
By 10:33pm ET, the Earth’s darker shadow will begin moving across the lunar surface, producing the appearance of a section of the Moon being gradually covered.
The eclipse is expected to reach its peak at about 12:12am ET, when more than 96 per cent of the Moon will be covered by the Earth’s shadow.
The celestial event will then gradually recede, with the Moon expected to completely leave the outer edge of the Earth’s shadow at about 3:01am ET.
NASA, in a notice published on its website, listed the August 27–28 event as a partial eclipse visible across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Western Asia.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has revealed the identities of some civil servants who allegedly helped Adeniyi Adeyemi, the director-general of the now-disowned Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), to obtain government approvals and gain access to official financial and administrative systems.
This was contained in the ICPC interim investigation report on the PFIPC saga.
The findings by the ICPC revealed that Adeyemi was able to penetrate government structures through the help of forged documents and officials in several government institutions who processed its requests and facilitated approvals despite gaps in the required procedures.
Adeyemi began seeking formal recognition within government structures in November 2024 when he approached the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) for an administrative code, self-accounting status and approval to open accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), supporting the applications with purported official documents, including an appointment letter, an establishment instrument, and a letter on State House letterhead allegedly signed by one Akanbi Adewale.Geographic Reference
However, ICPC investigators found that Akanbi Adewale did not exist. Forensic examination also showed that the letter attributed to him was signed by Adeyemi.
Despite these irregularities, the documents were used to process the applications.
According to Premium Times, the investigation probes the critical roles played by three civil servants in securing an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver for the PFIPC.Local News
The civil servants include Rose Achem, senior administrative officer to the director-general of the Budget Office of the Federation; Patricia Akhigbe, an assistant director in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning; and Mimi Abu, director of organisation design and development at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).
The findings revealed that Achem introduced Akhigbe to Abu as the head of human resources of the PFIPC, even though Akhigbe was an assistant director in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
The ICPC found that Achem, Akhigbe and Abu subsequently facilitated the purported council’s application for authorised establishment and recruitment waiver through the OHCSF.
Adeyemi, it was found, paid Akhigbe 500,000 naira during Easter in 2025. The payment was described in the evidence as a “thank you for your support.”
According to the anti-corruption agency, the authorised establishment was granted on the same day the three officials met.
No evidence existed that the PFIPC had formally applied for an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver. Instead, the three government officials proceeded with the approvals outside the required process.
The ICPC examined Abu’s role because her department is responsible for authorised establishment, manpower requirements and recruitment waivers for federal government organisations.
It said Abu oversees four units responsible for establishment and workforce planning, organisation design, job design and development, and rules and regulations.
The investigation found that Achem and Akhigbe met Abu on behalf of the PFIPC and presented what investigators described as forged establishment instruments and a forged appointment letter for Adeyemi.
Speaking to investigators, Abu reportedly described the controversial appointment letter, said to have been issued by the Chief of Staff to the President, as an “aberration”.Executive Branch
She added that she could not recall another government organisation presenting an appointment letter signed by the Chief of Staff.
The ICPC also examined the role of an official responsible for office allocation within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) named Aminu Abdullahi.
According to the ICPC findings, Abdullahi was responsible for coordinating the allocation of offices to political appointees within the OSGF.
Requests for office allocation are submitted to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, processed through the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, and subsequently referred to the Director, General Services, for necessary action.
It was gathered that a deputy director in General Services, Ibrahim Abdulkadir introduced Abdullahi to Adeyemi in March 2025 to guide the PFIPC ‘DG’ through the process of obtaining office accommodation at the Federal Secretariat after a request made on behalf of the PFIPC to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had not produced the expected result.
Investigators found that Abdullahi allocated offices previously occupied by the former Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Doyin Salami, at the Federal Secretariat Phase III for temporary use by the PFIPC without written approval.
An analysis of Abdullahi’s bank statement by Investigators showed that he received 3.25 million naira from Adeyemi in three tranches between March and November 2025.
Hon. Saba Yisa Gideon, a member of the Kwara State House of Assembly representing Edu State Constituency, has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with immediate effect.
Gideon, who is also the Chairman of the House Committee on Livestock, announced his resignation in a letter dated August 19, 2026, addressed to the APC Ward Chairman of Tsaragi Ward 3 in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State.
In the letter titled “Resignation of Membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC),” the lawmaker said his decision followed careful reflection and consultations with his constituents and key stakeholders.
He cited concerns over recent developments within the party, particularly issues relating to internal democracy, fairness and inclusiveness.
“I hereby formally resign my membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), effective immediately,” Gideon stated in the letter.
He added, “This decision follows careful reflection and consultations with my constituents and key stakeholders. Recent developments within the Party, particularly concerning internal democracy, fairness, and inclusiveness, have led me to take this decision.”
The lawmaker, however, pledged to remain focused on his responsibilities to the people of his constituency, stressing that his resignation from the APC would not affect his commitment to public service.
“I remain committed to serving the people of Edu State Constituency, Kwara State, and Nigeria with integrity, dedication, and accountability,” he said.
Gideon also expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve under the platform of the APC and for the support he received during his membership of the party.
“Thank you for the opportunity to serve and for the support received during my membership of the Party,” he stated.
On December 22, 2025, SaharaReporters reported that the Kwara State House of Assembly was embroiled in fresh controversy after suspending Gideon, the lawmaker representing Edu Local Government Area, over allegations that he leaked an audio recording to Ambassador Yahaya Seriki, a businessman and an APC chieftain with noted governorship ambitions.
Although the Assembly officially cited “unparliamentary conduct” as the basis for Gideon’s suspension, multiple sources in the House told SaharaReporters that the action was politically motivated and tied to deepening internal power struggles ahead of the 2027 elections.
Seriki, an APC chieftain widely believed to be nursing a governorship ambition, is reportedly at loggerheads with the Speaker of the House, Salihu Yakubu Danladi, whose own governorship aspiration has become an open secret in Ilorin political circles.
According to sources, the controversy erupted after Hon. Owolabi Rasaq, representing Share/Oke-Ode constituency, accused Gideon on the floor of the House of leaking sensitive legislative deliberations to Seriki.
One source explained that the alleged leak concerned a proposed motion seeking the revocation of Seriki’s mining licences in Kwara State, an issue said to have sparked intense behind-the-scenes lobbying and divisions within the Assembly.
The allegation reportedly began to unravel during plenary, with Owolabi himself admitting that he did not know who actually leaked the information.
Despite this admission, lawmakers sympathetic to the House leadership allegedly pressed ahead with calls for Gideon’s sanction, arguing that his close relationship with Seriki made him the “most likely” source of the leak.
Sources say the issue escalated from legislative disagreement to personal confrontation after an audio recording obtained by SaharaReporters captured a tense exchange between Speaker Salihu Yakubu Danladi and the suspended lawmaker.
In the leaked audio, the Speaker is heard warning Gideon to “play soft” and accusing him of talking too much.
Although the Speaker denied directly asking Gideon to support his alleged governorship ambition, the lengthy audio monologue repeatedly references political structures, party control, and loyalty.
Partial lunar eclipse expected to light up skies on Friday
Finally Ibrahim Gusau gives reasons for his resignation as NFF President
ICPC reveals identities of four govt officials who aided ‘fake’ PFIPC
-
News13 hours agoINEC to display 2027 governorship, Assembly candidates’ list Saturday
-
Metro13 hours agoBandits Kill Tinubu’s Minister’s Brother
-
News5 hours agoSad: Bandits reportedly kill elder brother of serving minister
-
News13 hours agoTinubu Mourns Eagle Online Publisher, Dotun Oladipo, Who Died At 56
-
Health13 hours ago7 Simple Ways To Prevent Typhoid Fever In Your Home
-
News5 hours agoSAD! NLC General Secretary Emmanuel Ugboaja is dead
-
Metro13 hours agoSuspected drug dealer arrested with 64 bottles of “Suck and D!e” in Bauchi
-
News5 hours ago2027: Why Tinubu holds strongest pathway to reelection amid emerging challenges of Obi, Atiku-ADSC Report
Warning: Undefined variable $user_ID in /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/themes/zox-news/comments.php on line 49
You must be logged in to post a comment Login