Trouble in “Meta-Land” as the Nigerian Government has sued the tech giant for violating the advertisement rules in the country.
On October 4, The Nigeria Government, through the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, sued Meta Platforms Incorporated (parent company of Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook ) and its agent AT3 Resources Limited at the Federal High Court, Abuja, to demand $50 million (N30billion) for alleged violation of advertisement rules.
ARCON, in a statement, communicated that it is seeking a declaration, among other things, that Meta’s continued divulgence of various advertisements targeted at the Nigerian market through its social media platforms without ensuring proper scrutiny and approvals before engaging Nigerians is a violation of the country’s current advertising laws
Surprisingly, a new bill, ARCON, was passed by the National Assembly and approved by the Nigerian president in August 2022.
The new bill abolished the Advertising Practitioners (Registration, etc.) Act, Cap. A7, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and enacted the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) Act, 2022, recognizing ARCON as the highest authority for the Nigerian advertising industry.
Earlier that month, ARCON announced a ban on using foreign voice-over artists and models effective from October 1st, 2022. ARCON also shared that it’s not regulating the online media space but marketing and advertising communications via online platforms in line with its establishment Act.
In light of this occurrence, it’s difficult not to reminisce the Twitter ban fiasco, which is still fresh in the minds of users.
Will there be a repeat of these motions that border on a gross disregard for free speech? What is the potential impact on small businesses that rely on easy accessibility and the wide exposure Facebook and Instagram guarantee for their products?
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Photo by Dima Solomin
