Nigeria’s Federal Government has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies and generative AI platforms over allegations that they have unlawfully exploited Nigerian news content and engaged in anti competitive practices. The directive came from President Bola Tinubu following a joint petition submitted by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO).
The investigation is expected to focus on companies including Meta, Alphabet, the parent company of Google, X, and certain AI platforms operating in Nigeria. Publishers claim these firms have used or benefited from Nigerian news content without fair compensation, harming the commercial sustainability of local media organisations and the rights of journalists and content creators.
The FCCPC will examine whether the companies have violated Nigeria’s competition and consumer protection laws, including allegations of unfair market dominance and the use of copyrighted news content to train artificial intelligence models without authorization or payment. No timeline has yet been announced for the investigation.
The move reflects a broader global trend, with governments and publishers in several countries seeking compensation or stronger regulation of technology companies over their use of news content. Nigerian authorities have pointed to international examples where regulators have required digital platforms to negotiate payment agreements with news publishers.
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