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Mention the names of these tech icons – Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Mark Zuckerberg- and many an ear in the tech world stands up straight. Over the years, everything about them and the companies they founded have been positive. Perhaps not anymore. Their giant tech firms known globally are now facing a surge of criticism. Does it therefore surprise you that Google, the world’s largest provider of search engines founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in September 1998, has moved from being the universally loved to broadly loathed by many governments in countries where they operate?
And,of course, you may ask, what happened? What went wrong? After all, the purpose of a company is to create customers and satisfy their needs. In point of fact, not only Alphabet, the parent company of Google but Meta, X(formerly known as Twitter), and other Generated Artificial intelligence, AI platforms, are facing numerous anti-trust investigations and legal challenges in many countries around the world. But when it comes to anti-trust scrutiny, Google and Meta stand unparalleled, with about 86% of these investigations swirling around both companies.
You can now begin to see why the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission(FCCPC) has commenced full-scale investigations into the activities of these tech giants in Nigeria. This is as a result of allegations that their business practices undermine Nigeria’s media industry and restricting fair competition. The probe was also sequel to a recent directive by President Bola Tinubu after the Nigerian Press Organisation(NPO) petitioned the presidency over the operation of the tech companies in the country. According to FCCPC, the President’s directive was conveyed through a letter signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris. The petition was jointly submitted by the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria(NPAN), the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Nigeria Guild of Editors, Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers(GOCOP). The investigation will address several critical issues that include: intellectual property and fair compensation. The issue here is that original Nigerian news stories generate huge revenue for global platforms, yet domestic media organisations receive little or no financial return. Market dominance is another sore point. FCCPC is assessing if these giant tech firms abuse their platforms and engage in anti-competitive conduct that stifle the local digital ecosystem. There’s also regulatory enforcement. This follows the 2025 FCCPC’s landmark $220 million penalty against Meta. The penalty followed a multi-year investigation after which Meta was found to have breached multiple provisions of the FCCPC Protection Act, including discriminatory practices, unauthorized data sharing, and abuse of market dominance. This demonstrates the commission’s aggressive stance in enforcing Nigerian laws.
In a separate but related regulatory enforcement, a Federal High Court in Abuja, last year ruled in favour of FCCPC regarding its oversight of the digital industry. Meta has appealed the judgement, and at the same time co zying up to the presidency for out of court settlement. But the federal government insists on the tech firms to respect local regulations. FCCPC maintains that any practice that weakens competition and threatens the financial sustainability of Nigerian media organisations and infringe on the rights of publishers and content creators, won’t be tolerated. That’s the way to go.
The commission’s Vice Chairman/CEO, Tunji Bello, a veteran journalist and lawyer, reiterates the importance of the investigation, saying it will be a thorough, evidence-based probe. “We recognise the strategic importance of the media to Nigeria’s democracy and the equally significant role of technology in driving innovation and economic growth. Our responsibility is to objectively determine the facts and ensure that competition within the digital ecosystem remains fair, transparent, and consistent with Nigerian laws”.
Besides, Mr. Bello stressed that the ongoing investigation should not be seen as an indication that any of the tech giants had violated the laws. “This inquiry is not directed at any entity by presumption of wrongdoing. Rather, it’s an opportunity to carefully examine the facts, hear from all affected parties and determine whether any conduct has resulted in outcomes or unfair business”. If you are not conversant with why the probe has become urgent, this is what matters. Let’s break it down. For instance, if you are running a technology company, an AI startup, a media outlet, a digital platform or any content-driven business, this investigation by FCCPC could change how you collect, use, distribute and monetise online content.
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In other words, consider how much of what you read online reaches you through these tech companies. Many Nigeria’s media organisations depend on these platforms for website traffic, advertising revenue and audience access. And it raises an important question that cuts to the heart of the digital economy – who should benefit when the platforms and AI systems generate commercial value from journalism.
This much should be made clear: Nigeria is not the only country where these tech giants have run foul of their host countries’ and got penalised.
Dozens of countries and regional blocs have taken Google, Meta, X, and other Generated AI platforms to court. The European Union(EU) leads with massive multi- billion dollar penalties, followed by the United States, Spain, South Africa, Kenya, South Korea, Brazil, India, and Russia. EU, for example, fined Google billions over anti-trust and anti-competitive practices, and penalised Meta heavily over issues related to Facebook marketplace. The EU continues to bring major lawsuits to enforce its digital market Act. The U.S. Department of Justice(DoJ)had few years ago, sued Alphabet(parent company of Google) and Meta over illegal monopolies and anti-competitive advertisment technology.
In a landmark civil trial, juries in California and New Mexico, found Meta and Google liable for purposefully designing addictive platforms that harm children’s mental health. And in Spain, a Madrid commercial court ordered Meta to pay hundreds of millions to local digital media publishers for infringing on European data protection regulation. In Kenya, public interest and civil rights cases have been brought against Meta in respect of content moderation, labour exploitation for its AI models, and platform accountability. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has pursued Google and Meta in court over data privacy violations and anti-competitive behaviour regarding app store dominance.
Also, Russia courts have fined Google hefty, historically unprecedented sums running into millions of dollars for repeatedly restricting state media channels on YOUTUBE. Only recently, South Africa’s Competition Consumer Commission took Google to court. Google agreed to settle out of court, and pay news organisations in the country R688 million, equivalent of 40 million US dollars annually for between three and five years for the use of their content. The protection and viability of Nigeria’s media industry is crucial. All of that makes the ongoing investigation into the activities of these tech giants in Nigeria, spearheaded by FCCPC a worthy cause. The commission requires everyone’s support.
