On today's episode of the Techpoint Africa Podcast, our hosts, Oluwanifemi Kolawole and Bolu Abiodun are joined by tech lawyer, Rosemond Phil-Othihiwa to discuss African tech stories making the waves this week.
First, we go to Meta and its lawsuit with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
The FCCPC has imposed a $220 million (over ₦300 billion) fine on Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, claiming it abused the data of Nigerian users.
This decision follows three years of investigating Meta’s conduct and operations between May 2021 and December 2023 by the FCCPC and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC). The authority alleged that the tech giant violated the FCCPC Act 2018, Nigeria Data Protection Regulation 2019 (NDPR) and other relevant laws.
Among other things, the FCCPC says data that is collected includes device fingerprinting which can be shared with third parties and commercialised.
Rosemond believes that Meta's argument that Nigeria's laws in comparison to countries in Europe is not a worthy defense since the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) is essentially a copy of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Next, we go to Mercury Bank and a decision causing buzzing conversations on social media.
Mercury Bank, a fintech based in the United States offering banking services to more than 100,000 early-stage startups, has included Nigeria in a list of countries restricted from opening and operating accounts on its platform.
With this development, businesses and individuals living in Nigeria can no longer open new accounts or conduct transactions using the fintech with affected accounts to be closed by August 22, 2024.
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It also restricted other African countries.
The affected countries include Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, The Congo, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mozambique, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Zimbabwe.
However, some founders complain that despite not having startups domiciled in Africa, they are being discriminated against based on nationality.
You can catch up on the conversation on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and anywhere you get your podcasts. You can also send your questions and observations to podcast@techpoint.africa or share your thoughts using the hashtag #TechpointAfricaPodcast.
Read: 3 reasons why WhatsApp will not leave Nigeria
