Meta and X Risk Sanctions for Breaching Nigeria’s Internet Code, Says NITDA Report.
X and Meta are facing sanctions from Nigeria’s IT regulator, NITDA, for failing to comply with the country’s Internet Code of Practice. A new report reveals X’s total non-compliance, raising accountability concerns.
ABUJA, NIGERIA – Global social media giants X (formerly Twitter) and Meta—which owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads—are on a collision course with the Nigerian government after failing to comply with the country’s digital safety regulations. A new report from the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has revealed that both platforms have breached Nigeria’s Code of Practice and now risk significant sanctions.
The 2024 Compliance Report by NITDA confirmed that the two companies failed to submit their mandatory annual content moderation reports for the year 2024, a key requirement of the code designed to ensure digital accountability and online safety for Nigerians.
While other major platforms like Google, LinkedIn, and TikTok achieved a fair level of compliance, the failures by X and Meta were singled out as a major concern.
X Shows ‘Complete Lack of Compliance,’ Meta Fails on Reporting
The NITDA report detailed different levels of non-compliance between the two tech giants, with Elon Musk’s X being the worst offender.
X’s Total Non-Compliance
NITDA described X’s failure as a “complete lack of compliance.” The platform has reportedly ignored all key requirements of the Internet Code, including:
Failure to submit the 2024 compliance report.
Failure to incorporate as a legal entity in Nigeria.
Failure to establish a physical contact address in the country.
Failure to designate a local compliance officer to interface with the government.
Meta’s Partial Compliance and Reporting Failure
While Meta has complied with some foundational aspects of the Code—such as incorporating in Nigeria, having a physical presence, and filing taxes—it failed in a critical area of transparency.
“Of particular concern is Meta’s failure to submit its content moderation report using the template prescribed by NITDA, which undermines comparability and limits the ability to assess compliance uniformly,” the report stated. NITDA expressed concern that the platforms have not shown the required level of accountability.
NITDA Weighs Sanctions for Breach of Act
Although the report did not specify the exact penalties, NITDA confirmed that non-compliance with the Code is a direct violation of the NITDA Act of 2007 and will attract sanctions.
An official from the agency explained that they are currently “weighing the options to arrive at appropriate sanction” because the penalties are not explicitly defined within the Code of Practice itself. This sets the stage for a potential high-stakes confrontation between the Nigerian government and two of the world’s most influential tech companies.
Meanwhile, Other Platforms Take Action on Harmful Content
In stark contrast to X and Meta, the compliance reports submitted by Google, Microsoft, and TikTok revealed extensive content moderation efforts in 2024. According to NITDA, these three platforms collectively:
Shut down and deactivated over 13.5 million accounts.
Carried out 58.9 million content takedowns.
Reinstated 420,439 pieces of content following successful user appeals.
These figures highlight the scale of moderation required to maintain online safety and underscore the significance of the data missing from X and Meta.
What is Nigeria’s Code of Practice?
First announced in June 2022, Nigeria’s Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms and Internet Intermediaries was jointly issued by the country’s top digital and communications regulators: the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), and NITDA.
The Code’s primary objectives are to:
Provide clear guidelines for managing harmful content, such as deepfakes, revenge porn, and child abuse material.
Promote online safety and protect Nigerian users from digital harm.
Ensure digital platforms are accountable for the content hosted on their sites.
Compel platforms to disclose user identities in specific legal cases when required by law.
According to the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, the code was developed to prevent Big Tech companies from becoming “dictators” and “bigger than the government,” ensuring they operate within the laws of the country. The coming weeks will reveal how NITDA intends to enforce these rules and bring non-compliant platforms into line.
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