Nigeria fines Meta $220M for violating consumer, data laws(reuters.com)
reuters.com
Nigeria fines Meta $220M for violating consumer, data laws
https://www.reuters.com/technology/nigerias-consumer-watchdog-fines-meta-220-million-violating-local-consumer-data-2024-07-19/
42 comments
> This country has never cared about data privacy. They literally handed our entire national identity database to dubious third parties, by refusing to implement basic security practices
You are describing common procedures here. Welcome to EU. /s
You are describing common procedures here. Welcome to EU. /s
The EU has the most advanced data protection laws on the planet. Sure, the competition is miserable, but at least Europe has tried.
What do you refer to?
> You are describing common procedures here. Welcome to EU. /s
You are grossly uninformed. Some EU countries even encoded in their own constitution how the state neither has the right to gather specific types of data on their population, such as race and political affiliation, but also they can't gather data that can used to track people, such as cross-referencing data across ministries.
Please provide any substance to your personal assertion.
You are grossly uninformed. Some EU countries even encoded in their own constitution how the state neither has the right to gather specific types of data on their population, such as race and political affiliation, but also they can't gather data that can used to track people, such as cross-referencing data across ministries.
Please provide any substance to your personal assertion.
EU (Europe in general) has an enormous bureaucracy, that wants to know everything about its citizens e.g. you have to register after every move. Then on top of requiring the state knows, you have an expectation of privacy.
If you're going to make this claim, here's what else you should specify before your comment has any meaning at all:
- how do you measure the size of a bureaucracy
- what is the size of EU's bureaucracy
- what make it qualify as enormous, or compared to what
Failing that, stop parroting right wing memes.
- how do you measure the size of a bureaucracy
- what is the size of EU's bureaucracy
- what make it qualify as enormous, or compared to what
Failing that, stop parroting right wing memes.
And the example of extreme data collection he comes up with is having to register where you live? It would be funny if he wasn't serious.
> EU (Europe in general) has an enormous bureaucracy, that wants to know everything about its citizens e.g. you have to register after every move.
You are painfully uninformed. In the most charitable interpretarion of what you're mindlessly saying, at best you're talking about things like in which town you pay municipal taxes and where you vote. Neither have anything whatsoever to do with privacy.
And you are still yet to provide any substance to your personal assertion.
> Then on top of requiring the state knows, you have an expectation of privacy.
You are throwing wild unsubstantiated claims. Either you add specifics or you're just spewing disinformation.
You are painfully uninformed. In the most charitable interpretarion of what you're mindlessly saying, at best you're talking about things like in which town you pay municipal taxes and where you vote. Neither have anything whatsoever to do with privacy.
And you are still yet to provide any substance to your personal assertion.
> Then on top of requiring the state knows, you have an expectation of privacy.
You are throwing wild unsubstantiated claims. Either you add specifics or you're just spewing disinformation.
They are just repeating something they heard a politician tell them as if it's fact.
Instead of a fine, Nigeria government should have just invoiced them. It (sort of) worked for one Lithuanian man between 2013-2015 [1]
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/25/business/facebook-google-...
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/25/business/facebook-google-...
For reference: that's below $1 per resident.
True, but if we look at GDP ratios instead of population, it looks different.
Nigeria's GDP in 2022 was $472B, compared to US's at $25.2T, so Nigeria's total economy is roughly 2% the size of the US.
Meta / Facebook made $134B in revenue and $39B in net income (profit) last year. Assuming 1/3 of their business is in the US, that's roughly $43B revenue & $13B profit in the US last year.
If we assume their business is proportionate to GDP, they made $860M revenue & $260M profit in Nigeria last year.
So this fine is basically the company's entire profit in the country in a year.
Nigeria's GDP in 2022 was $472B, compared to US's at $25.2T, so Nigeria's total economy is roughly 2% the size of the US.
Meta / Facebook made $134B in revenue and $39B in net income (profit) last year. Assuming 1/3 of their business is in the US, that's roughly $43B revenue & $13B profit in the US last year.
If we assume their business is proportionate to GDP, they made $860M revenue & $260M profit in Nigeria last year.
So this fine is basically the company's entire profit in the country in a year.
There’s no way Meta made $860 million in revenue from Nigeria. The country’s economy is too dilapidated to deliver that kind of revenue.
According to the World Bank it’s less than that, but still it’s interesting to contemplate Meta monetizing the same in Nigeria and Colombia, and more or less the same in Romania:
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?location...
I’d be shocked if the numbers were that high.
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?location...
I’d be shocked if the numbers were that high.
> If we assume their business is proportionate to GDP...
This is a really bad approach. Megacorps like fb are happy to take a loss on small countries to maintain a worldwide monopoly. Perhaps I'd go with a power law distribution, rather than uniform? A few whales can cover a whole lot of leeches.
This is a really bad approach. Megacorps like fb are happy to take a loss on small countries to maintain a worldwide monopoly. Perhaps I'd go with a power law distribution, rather than uniform? A few whales can cover a whole lot of leeches.
> Assuming 1/3 of their business is in the US
Americans often massively underestimate the size and importance of the US.
Meta derives ~80% of its revenue from the US and Canada.
Americans often massively underestimate the size and importance of the US.
Meta derives ~80% of its revenue from the US and Canada.
Based on their reports it’s approx. 42%. Do you have other sources?
https://s21.q4cdn.com/399680738/files/doc_financials/2024/q1...
https://s21.q4cdn.com/399680738/files/doc_financials/2024/q1...
Yeah I was also going by their quarterly earnings reports since they're a public company. Though that only breaks down the revenue by continent, but was using it to approximate US revenue at 30% of worldwide.
Facebook can simply not pay it? Nigeria cannot do anything I imagine.
They have offices and very probably a legal entity in Nigeria. I'd imagine that if they don't pay up, and as such decide to not follow the country's law, then Nigeria will seize the assets available and issue a ban against WhatsApp and other Meta services.
Nigeria will be the big loser if they ban Meta’s free and widely used services. No tech company could function if every banana republic levies hundreds of millions of fines when they don't even generate that much revenue in those markets.
No, the truth is that the people of Nigeria will be the big winners if Nigeria bans Meta's widely deceptive, manipulative, and harmful amalgamation of spyware, malicious and unethical secret psychological manipulation experiments, and socially destabilizing engagement-farming algorithms. Instagram is very nearly a biological warfare agent against the mental health of young women - Meta hires a surprisingly large number of neuroscientists and behavioral psychologists to make their products as addictive as possible, with no concern for the mental health ramifications for Meta's victims.
None of the positive capabilities Meta offers are unique to Meta products - there is not a single capability in Meta's entire lineup that cannot be met by competitors with a less malicious and untrustworthy past.
Meta's conglomeration of psychological poison truly is the "cigarette makers" of our generation.
None of the positive capabilities Meta offers are unique to Meta products - there is not a single capability in Meta's entire lineup that cannot be met by competitors with a less malicious and untrustworthy past.
Meta's conglomeration of psychological poison truly is the "cigarette makers" of our generation.
I am looking for people in europe to view it like this & want to change how things are.
If you, or whoever reads this, wants to join a broke startup but have a shot at truly changing things for the better, let me know how to reach out.
Aaaalso, as always, everyone... please stop calling them the M-word. It's still the greedy, creepy facebook. Don't let them claim this awesome word & get away with making people forget who they truly are.
Aaaalso, as always, everyone... please stop calling them the M-word. It's still the greedy, creepy facebook. Don't let them claim this awesome word & get away with making people forget who they truly are.
Any way for folks outside of Europe to help or donate?
You make a great point on namewashing, but to be clear, my issue is with the morality of the whole company, not just the individual product going by the same name as the company before their rebrand.
You make a great point on namewashing, but to be clear, my issue is with the morality of the whole company, not just the individual product going by the same name as the company before their rebrand.
> banana republic
Nigeria is Africa's largest economy and most notable democracy.
Referring to it as a "banana republic" just hints at bias.
Nigeria is Africa's largest economy and most notable democracy.
Referring to it as a "banana republic" just hints at bias.
Nigeria is Africa’s most corrupt country and run by a barely functional government.
“Banana Republic” is a fitting description.
“Banana Republic” is a fitting description.
Whats your opinion on US and EU countries corruption?
It’s much lower than what we have in Nigeria and Africa at large.
The worst EU leader is far better than the average African leader. Then it gets worse with civil service agencies over here…they’re corrupt to the point of being almost irredeemable.
The worst EU leader is far better than the average African leader. Then it gets worse with civil service agencies over here…they’re corrupt to the point of being almost irredeemable.
I am from India, and I often see again and again, how good the Western people have it in terms of corruption.
Countries like India, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan are corrupt to the very skeleton, for the lack of a better expression.
But, I also think people have lesser appreciation of their situation.
You might see corruption everywhere there in Nigeria. But maybe it’s much better than Sierra Leone or Somalia.
Indians see India as fully corrupt. But we have to pay bribes for making passports and recording our lands after a purchase or inheritance. Bangladeshis have to pay bribes to police for all of the above, as well as minor things like- if someone needs to drive a car at night. Police stops you, and asks you your purpose for driving at night and demands bribes. Just like that. No violation needed. That's in Bangladesh. But you won't see it in Mumbai or Delhi.
Western people have no darned idea about total ubiquitous corruption and incompetence in third world. They just self sensor and argue for the fear and risk of sounding racist and prejudiced.
Countries like India, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan are corrupt to the very skeleton, for the lack of a better expression.
But, I also think people have lesser appreciation of their situation.
You might see corruption everywhere there in Nigeria. But maybe it’s much better than Sierra Leone or Somalia.
Indians see India as fully corrupt. But we have to pay bribes for making passports and recording our lands after a purchase or inheritance. Bangladeshis have to pay bribes to police for all of the above, as well as minor things like- if someone needs to drive a car at night. Police stops you, and asks you your purpose for driving at night and demands bribes. Just like that. No violation needed. That's in Bangladesh. But you won't see it in Mumbai or Delhi.
Western people have no darned idea about total ubiquitous corruption and incompetence in third world. They just self sensor and argue for the fear and risk of sounding racist and prejudiced.
Seconded! Pakistani living in the States. Have been pulled over by cops many times at night because they're bored and/or want a bribe. Bribed a guy to get my passport made. Corrupt ranger tried to squeeze cash out of my dad's startup office space.
It's very difficult to explain to Westerners how deeply corrupt our societies are relative to the rule of law we/they enjoy in the West.
It's very difficult to explain to Westerners how deeply corrupt our societies are relative to the rule of law we/they enjoy in the West.
Corruption has traditionally been difficult to quantify. There is the Corruption Perceptions Index, which uses perception as a (clever but tricky) proxy for actual corruption.
https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2023
To tie this into your conversation:
Nigeria would rank 145th, the US would be ranked 24th, and the lowest-ranking EU country, if I'm not mistaken, would be Hungary at 76th.
https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2023
To tie this into your conversation:
Nigeria would rank 145th, the US would be ranked 24th, and the lowest-ranking EU country, if I'm not mistaken, would be Hungary at 76th.
Nigeria is a barely-functioning democracy, a wildly corrupt state: or is it ‘bias’ to say so?
https://freedomhouse.org/country/nigeria https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/nigeria https://www.cfr.org/article/nigerias-all-too-familiar-corrup...
https://freedomhouse.org/country/nigeria https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/nigeria https://www.cfr.org/article/nigerias-all-too-familiar-corrup...
They likely won't pay as Meta does not pay any tax close to 200mm in Nigeria.
If they have heavy lawyers there. Which they do, no doubts.
Good news, a prince needs some help getting his family inheritance out of the country. Meta can just provide its bank account and routing code numbers to receive the transfer, and will get to keep 25%. They're set.
This is just a shakedown move by a corrupt, extremely incompetent government looking for funding…they might have just begged Zuckerberg to donate directly.
This country has never cared about data privacy. They literally handed our entire national identity database to dubious third parties, by refusing to implement basic security practices [1].
I hope Zuckerberg tells the government to pound sand and just blocks Nigerians from Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. It’s not like Meta makes much profit from this poor country anyway.
1- https://www.thecable.ng/revealed-how-nimc-exposed-private-da...