Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu directs the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology and generative AI platforms over allegations involving news media content. Multiple outlets report that the directive follows a petition from the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), an umbrella group that includes organizations representing newspaper proprietors, journalists, broadcasters, and online corporate publishers. The FCCPC says the investigation is intended to examine whether conduct is unlawful or results in anti-competitive outcomes, and it emphasizes that it is not based on presumed wrongdoing.
Media organizations say platforms such as Meta, Alphabet/Google, and X (formerly Twitter) and certain AI services operating in Nigeria engage in practices that undermine fair competition and threaten the commercial viability of Nigerian media houses. They also allege unauthorized scraping or use of copyrighted news content for AI training and monetisation without fair compensation or negotiation.
The reported scope includes potential violations of Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, including market dominance, anti-competitive conduct, and denial of fair negotiation opportunities for publishers. The FCCPC is expected to conduct an independent, transparent, evidence-based inquiry and hear from affected parties.
