The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has filed a motion against Meta the owners of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp for 30 billion naira
Why is this happening?
They accused the company of showing advertisements to the Nigerian audience without obtaining approval from the advertisement agency. ARCON announced the suit in a statement on Tuesday, stating that it would not tolerate unethical and irresponsible advertising targeted at Nigerians.
As a result, ARCON is suing Meta Incorporated for N30 billion in damages for violating Nigerian advertising rules and for income loss as a result of Meta Incorporated’s ongoing exposure of unauthorized advertisements on its platforms.
What this means
The agency wants the court to declare Meta’s advertisements targeted at the Nigerian market on Facebook and Instagram without first ensuring that they are vetted and approved by the agency as illegal, unlawful, and a violation of the country’s current advertising laws.
Digging deeper
The agency alleges that Meta’s actions cost the federal government money they could have earned from advertisement, and as such want the company to pay damages to the tune of 30 billion naira.