Nigeria to investigate tech firms over news content use
The commission will examine claims that the companies scraped news content and denied publishers fair compensation, following a petition from media groups.
- On Monday, President Bola Tinubu directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to investigate Meta, Alphabet, X, and Generative Artificial Intelligence platforms over allegations of anti-competitive practices and unauthorized use of Nigerian media content.
- This directive follows a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation , comprising the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria , the Nigeria Union of Journalists , the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria , and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers .
- The Commission will determine if firms violated the Consumer Protection Act or engaged in unauthorized scraping of news content to train Generative Artificial Intelligence models, while examining allegations of market dominance abuse.
- FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman Tunji Bello committed to a transparent, evidence-driven investigation, stating the commission aims to "objectively determine the facts" before deciding if regulatory action is warranted.
- Citing a South African precedent, the Commission noted Google committed to pay approximately $40 million annually for three to five years to support news media, while the FCCPC previously imposed a $220 million penalty on Meta in 2025.
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The investigation was conducted due to allegations of anti-competitive practices and the use of news content without proper compensation to media companies.
On Monday, July 6, 2026, the Nigerian authorities announced an investigation into digital giants, including Meta, Alphabet and X, as well as artificial intelligence platforms, following complaints from the media sector concerning practices deemed potentially anticompetitive.
Nigeria to investigate tech firms over news content use
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has directed the country’s competition regulator to investigate major technology companies over alleged anti-competitive practices and unauthorised use of news content, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission said late on Monday.
Nigeria: Tinubu Directs FCCPC to Investigate Meta, Google, X, AI Platforms Over Media Complaints
The probe follows a petition by Nigeria's major media organisations alleging anti-competitive practices, unauthorised use of news content and unfair commercial treatment by global technology companies.
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