FCCPC launches investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices, copyright violations and unfair treatment of Nigerian media organisations.
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major technology companies and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms operating in Nigeria over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the unauthorised use of news content.
The directive followed a joint petition by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which includes the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).
In a statement on Monday, the FCCPC said the probe would cover companies such as Meta, Alphabet (Google), X (formerly Twitter), and selected AI platforms over claims that their activities threaten the sustainability of Nigeria’s media industry.
FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman, Tunji Bello, said the investigation would be transparent and evidence-based, stressing that it should not be seen as a presumption of wrongdoing.
According to the Commission, the investigation will examine allegations of market dominance, the scraping and commercial use of copyrighted news content to train AI models, and claims that Nigerian publishers have been denied fair compensation for the use of their content.
The FCCPC added that the outcome of the investigation will determine whether any of the practices violate the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act or other applicable Nigerian laws.