Meta Is Facing Criticism In Nigeria For Its Anti-Scam Chat Alert

Meta is facing backlash in Nigeria after a user found an in-app notification that was described as discriminatory. Techpoint reported that Nigerian Instagram user Daniel Adebowale shared a screenshot of his conversation partner on social media, telling him that the user “appeared to be in Nigeria” and urged the user to avoid sharing personal information unless they knew the person.

The post caused an uproar on social media, as several Nigerian users accused Meta of unfairly targeting the country. Meta, however, denied the allegation, explaining that the alert was part of a global anti-scam initiative.

Meta under fire in Nigeria

A Meta spokesperson explained to Techpoint that it’s been testing ways to alert people when they’re speaking to someone new based in another country to help people avoid scams. “This included letting people know which country the other person was in – and was shown no matter where they were, not just in Nigeria,” they said.

Meta added that the test has ended, and these notifications no longer name individual countries.

Meta threatening to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria

This is not the first time Meta has faced criticism in Nigeria. Meta recently announced that it threatened to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria after losing a court appeal over $290 million in fines tied to regulatory and data privacy violations.

The showdown began in 2021 when Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) launched an investigation into WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy.

The agency, along with the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and the national advertising regulator, accused Meta of multiple infractions. These include sharing user data without authorization, discriminating against Nigerian users compared to other markets, and forcing unfair privacy policies through its dominant market position.

Image: Julio Lopez