LAGOS: Nigeria’s competition watchdog announced on July 6 that it is looking into major tech and artificial intelligence (AI) companies. The investigation focuses on claims of “unlawful exploitation of news content” and “unfair market practices.”
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) stated that this inquiry was initiated after Nigerian President Bola Tinubu received a joint petition from the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO). The NPO represents journalists, newspaper owners, and online publishers.
According to the FCCPC, the investigation will explore allegations of “market dominance and anti-competitive conduct.” It also aims to assess claims that journalistic content has been used without permission to help develop AI models.
Ondaja Ijagwu, a spokesman for the FCCPC, mentioned that the NPO has expressed growing concern over practices from major companies like Meta, Alphabet, and X (previously known as Twitter), which could negatively impact fair competition.
Additionally, the FCCPC will look into claims that Nigerian media organizations have struggled to negotiate fair compensation for the use of their content.
As of now, Meta, Alphabet, and X have not responded to requests for comments, and it remains unclear which AI firms are under investigation.
Nigeria is home to about 154.7 million Internet subscriptions as of April, according to data from the National Communication Commission. Social media platforms owned by Meta, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, along with X, are extremely popular in the country.
Moreover, Nigeria’s film industry, Nollywood, is increasingly relying on YouTube, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, as foreign streaming platforms reduce their commissions on local productions.
FCCPC director Tunji Bello clarified that this investigation is not an assumption of wrongdoing. Instead, it aims to review the situation carefully, allowing all affected parties to share their perspectives and determine if any actions have led to unfair practices or anti-competitive outcomes.
