Nigeria fines Meta $220 million for Facebook and WhatsApp data misuse
In a major blow to tech giant Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp has lost its appeal against a $220 million fine imposed by Nigeria's consumer protection authority. The verdict was delivered on Friday by Nigeria's Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal.The penalty, initially imposed in 2023 by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), stemmed from multiple consumer data violations uncovered during a joint probe with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission. Additionally, Meta has been ordered to pay an extra $35,000 to cover the FCCPC's investigative expenses.advertisementAccording to FCCPC spokesperson Ondaje Ijagwu, the tribunal found Meta and WhatsApp guilty of engaging in several unlawful practices. These included the unauthorized sharing of Nigerians' data, discriminatory data handling, and abuse of market dominance. The commission argued that these actions violated Nigeria's consumer protection and data privacy laws.
'The tribunal ruled that the multiple actions by WhatsApp and Meta, for which the Commission made findings of violations, were correctly identified, and that the Commission did not err in making those findings,' Ijagwu said.Meta Denies AllegationsAccording to Barron's, Meta has denied any wrongdoing and expressed disagreement with the ruling and imposed penalties. A WhatsApp spokesperson reiterated the company's stance in an email shortly after the fine was first announced in June 2024.Despite its objections, Meta has until the end of June to comply with the tribunal's ruling and settle the fine, as reported by local media outlets.advertisementThis ruling adds to Meta's mounting global regulatory troubles. The company is also facing a 200 million fine from the European Union over its controversial 'pay or consent' data model on Facebook and Instagram, which regulators say violates EU data privacy rules.With over 164 million internet subscriptions as of March 2025, Nigeria remains one of Meta's biggest markets in Africa. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp dominate online communication.Also Read: Brazil's Ex-President Collor de Mello jailed for corruption charges
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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Snap gets closer to eventually replacing your smartphone with new lightweight AR glasses in 2026
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'We believe the time is right for a revolution in computing that naturally integrates our digital experiences with the physical world, and we can't wait to publicly launch our new Specs next year,' Evan Spiegel, co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc, said in a statement. 'We couldn't be more excited about the extraordinary progress in artificial intelligence and augmented reality that is enabling new, human-centered computing experiences.' Snap, the company behind the popular Snapchat app, debuted its first smart glasses—dubbed Spectacles—in 2016. These early models featured circular frames and were primarily designed for capturing photos and videos. They lacked any augmented reality capabilities and were similar to the earlier versions of Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses. Snapchat's Spectacles were fun and stood out for resembling real, fashionable sunglasses more than typical smart glasses. In the following years, Snap released updated versions of Spectacles, but in 2021, the company shifted its focus toward augmented reality. This pivot was driven by a desire to bridge the digital and physical worlds, seamlessly integrating virtual elements with the tangible environment. The AR-focused Spectacles adopted a black, sharp-angled rectangular design and were noticeably thicker than earlier models. The Santa Monica, California-based company released the fifth-generation Spectacles in September of last year. However, they were intended only for developers who committed to paying $99 a month for a year. Snap is among several companies developing high-tech smart glasses and is working to get them on people's faces as quickly as possible, with the ultimate goal of replacing smartphones. Meta is another major player betting on smart glasses as the foundation of the next-generation computing platform. Meta already sells its popular Ray-Ban smart glasses equipped with cameras and speakers, but although they currently lack augmented reality capabilities. Last year, the company unveiled Orion—a pair of smart glasses that resemble thick, black reading glasses but feature lenses capable of displaying text messages, video calls, and even YouTube videos within the user's field of vision. Augmented reality, however, is already present in both Snap's fifth-generation Spectacles and Meta's Orion prototype. Both companies aim to shift AR from a niche, experimental technology to a mainstream phenomenon. Earlier this year, Google joined the fray by announcing its own entry into the space through a $150 million partnership with Warby Parker, which plans to release its own smart glasses sometime next year. Apple, too, has dabbled in the AR space in recent years with its Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, but the company has yet to launch sleek smart glasses. Tech companies have been trying for years to develop AR wearables, but they have failed to excite consumers. However, they hope that AR glasses will eventually become a mobile, hands-free computer that could rival the smartphone and become the default way to communicate and interact online. If smart glasses do become mainstream, companies like Snap hope to be major players in this emerging industry, which would also help reduce their dependency on competitors like Apple and Google. Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at who has been covering smartphones, personal computers, gaming, apps, and lifestyle tech actively since 2011. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech, retro gaming and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. He covers major international tech conferences and product launches from the world's biggest and most valuable tech brands including Apple, Google and others. At the same time, he also extensively covers indie, home-grown tech startups. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin. Email: ... Read More
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft buy green power under a special contract. That's causing losses
New Delhi: In a rare occurrence, India's falling real-time renewable energy tariffs are causing losses to Big Tech firms. The reason: a mechanism aimed at ensuring price stability and managing risks. Meta, Amazon and Microsoft are incurring losses on their green energy power purchase agreements (PPAs) that are based on Contract for Difference (CfD), said four people aware of the development. Power producers and buyers agree to pricing under long-term pacts. When such agreements are based on CfD, either party has to pay the difference between the contracted and the actual price to the other. In case the market prices are higher than the agreed-upon 'strike price', the power producer pays the differential to the procurer–in this case, corporates. But if the market price is lower than the contracted price, the company needs to pay the developer. 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The major players include the global tech giants." Queries emailed to Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft remained unanswered till press time. "Procuring entities would have been incurring losses in the past two months owing to the fall in market prices of power. Currently, the market-clearing price stands around ₹2.1-2.2 per unit during the solar hours," said Jatin Arya, director at CareEdge Ratings. 'This downtrend has been seen for two months in a row. However, in case prices rebound, these entities may be able to offset such losses over the course of the remaining months of the fiscal." Power prices drop in cooler May The decline in real-time prices comes as demand for power in India's top six industrialized states flattened in April and cooled in May, as reported by Mint earlier. This suggests a potential fall in factory production at the start of the new financial year. The average market-clearing price (MCP) on the Indian Energy Exchange during solar hours (11:00-16:00 hours) in May was ₹2.2 per unit against ₹3.5 a unit a year earlier, with prices in some time blocks at nearly ₹0 per unit. The average MCP during non-solar hours (00:00-11:00 hours and 16:00-24:00 hours) was ₹3.8/unit vs ₹5.2/unit in the corresponding period of the previous year. The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has projected a peak demand of 270 gigawatt (GW) this year, compared to a record 250 GW recorded on 30 May last year. But May was cooler this year compared with a year earlier, when the peak demand had touched 250 GW. The fall in temperatures drove prices down in the short-term power market. Average market-clearing price (MCP) in the real-time market declined 28% on-year to ₹3.43 per unit in May 2025, indicating ample availability amid tepid electricity volume requirement, said a Crisil report. Green commitments AEI New Energy Trading Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of Amazon Inc has a 20-year PPA at ₹2.72 per unit from 100 MW (AC)/135 MW (DC) solar power project in Rajasthan. Last August, Microsoft signed a PPA for 437.6 MW of green attributes, marking one of the largest corporate renewable deals in the country. Under this agreement, Microsoft aims to advance its renewable energy targets, while supporting community initiatives such as rural electrification and women's economic empowerment. Given the requirement of green attributes for achieving green energy targets, 30% of green energy usage cited by large corporations comprises green attributes sourced through international renewable energy certificates, CfD-based PPAs and virtual PPAs, said Aditya Malpani, senior director and regional business head – west, AMPIN Energy Transition. Temporary blip Industry players do not expect real-time renewable energy prices to remain low for long. 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Read more: Crisis alert: Careless water management poses India an existential threat According to Suddhasatta Kundu, director-power sector advisory at Nangia & Co LLP, the decrease in solar price is attributed to various reasons, including low financing cost, higher generation during the day when demand is low, favourable regulatory provisions, among others. 'In the short term, there may be a reduction in solar price; however, in the long term, CfDs will be a favourable risk-mitigation instrument for the buyer. Green attributes requirement would certainly drive, but it will not solely be the driving factor," he said. Rahul Mishra, senior VP & head-C&I, BluPine Energy, said: 'While such price movements have prompted discussion around Contract for Difference (CfD)-based agreements, these are largely situational developments rather than indicators of a systemic challenge." 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Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
UT chief secy takes up power cuts with CPDL
Chandigarh: The performance of Chandigarh Power Distribution Limited since the transition of distribution responsibilities on Feb 1 was reviewed Tuesday by chief secretary Rajeev Verma. Verma raised concerns over the current power supply quality due to unscheduled outages and delayed responses across Chandigarh. He was subsequently briefed on CPDL's efforts, which include grid infrastructure strengthening and maintenance at all grid substations through scheduled shutdowns. The chief secretary was also informed about the customer service initiatives, featuring a newly launched 24×7 call centre and a dedicated WhatsApp helpline for consumers. In addition, CPDL enhanced its services by installing new electricity meters within 72 hours. It also supplies both the meter and the power cable — items consumers previously had to purchase themselves, Verma was told. The detailed presentation by CPDL management also highlighted several pressing challenges, including the ageing infrastructure, with frequent equipment failures due to outdated systems identified during a post-privatisation survey. It was informed that proactive summer preparedness, involving targeted maintenance at grid substations to pre-empt heat-driven demand peaks, was being done to ensure minimum inconvenience to the residents of Chandigarh. To strengthen its power distribution infrastructure, CPDL has outsourced fault response teams to ensure that consumer complaints and technical faults are addressed promptly.
