President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate some of the world’s biggest technology companies, including Google, Meta and X, over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the unlawful use of content belonging to Nigerian media organisations.
The investigation follows a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which accused the companies and some Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms of engaging in business practices that could harm Nigeria’s media industry.
The directive marks one of the Federal Government’s strongest moves yet to examine the activities of global digital platforms in Nigeria amid growing concerns over the relationship between technology companies and news publishers.
The FCCPC disclosed the development in a statement issued on Monday by its Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu.
According to the commission, the investigation will focus on allegations against major technology companies, including Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp; Alphabet, the parent company of Google; X, formerly known as Twitter; as well as certain Generative AI platforms operating in Nigeria.
The commission said the probe was ordered after President Tinubu directed it to examine the petition submitted by the Nigerian Press Organisation.
Part of the statement read: “Big technology companies have come under the radar of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission following allegations of anti-competitive practices, unlawful exploitation of news content, and other potentially unfair market conduct.”
It added that Generative Artificial Intelligence platforms operating in Nigeria would also be investigated as part of the exercise.
Although the FCCPC did not provide details of the specific allegations made in the petition, the commission said it would examine claims relating to unfair competition, the use of media content without proper compensation, and other practices that may violate Nigeria’s competition and consumer protection laws.
The Nigerian Press Organisation is made up of key media industry groups, including the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). The organisations have repeatedly expressed concern over the growing influence of global technology companies on the news industry.
Media organisations have argued that while digital platforms distribute and benefit from their news content, they receive little or no financial compensation. They also complain that the dominance of major technology companies in digital advertising has significantly reduced revenue available to traditional media houses.
In recent years, many newspapers and broadcast organisations have struggled with declining advertising income as businesses increasingly spend their marketing budgets on digital platforms such as Google and Meta.
The rise of Artificial Intelligence has also created fresh concerns for news publishers. Many AI systems are trained using large volumes of online content, including news articles, raising questions about copyright, intellectual property rights and whether publishers should be compensated when their content is used to develop AI products.
The Federal Government’s decision comes at a time when regulators in several countries are increasing scrutiny of global technology companies over issues ranging from competition and data privacy to copyright and market dominance.
Countries such as Australia and Canada have introduced laws requiring some technology companies to negotiate payment agreements with news publishers whose content appears on their platforms. Similar discussions are ongoing in the European Union and the United States as governments seek to balance innovation with the protection of local media industries.
Competition regulators around the world have also investigated companies such as Google and Meta over allegations that their market power gives them an unfair advantage over competitors and limits consumer choice.
Nigeria’s FCCPC has in recent years stepped up enforcement of competition and consumer protection laws across different sectors of the economy. The commission has investigated companies in telecommunications, aviation, digital services and other industries where it believes consumers or businesses may have been unfairly treated.
The latest investigation is expected to determine whether the activities of the technology companies and AI platforms comply with Nigeria’s existing laws on competition, consumer protection and fair business practices.
Neither the companies named in the FCCPC statement nor the AI platforms under investigation had publicly responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
The commission said its investigation would proceed in line with the directive of President Tinubu and the provisions of Nigeria’s competition and consumer protection laws.
The outcome of the probe is expected to be closely watched by media organisations, technology companies and other stakeholders as Nigeria seeks to define the rules governing the relationship between global digital platforms and local news publishers in the rapidly evolving digital age.