President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies, including Meta, Alphabet (Google), X (formerly Twitter), and certain Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the unlawful exploitation of Nigerian news content.
The directive follows a petition submitted by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which raised concerns over the growing use of news content produced by Nigerian media organisations without authorisation or fair compensation.
According to the FCCPC, the investigation will examine allegations that the technology companies engaged in practices that undermine fair competition in Nigeria’s media industry by using news content generated by local publishers without appropriate licensing arrangements.
The commission will also investigate claims that some Generative AI platforms used copyrighted news materials produced by Nigerian publishers to train artificial intelligence models without obtaining the necessary permissions.
The FCCPC stated that the investigation forms part of the Federal Government’s commitment to promoting fair competition, protecting intellectual property rights, and ensuring a sustainable digital economy for Nigerian media organisations.
The commission, however, stressed that the investigation does not imply that any of the companies has violated Nigerian law. It noted that the process will be evidence-based and that all parties involved will be given the opportunity to respond to the allegations before any decision is reached.