The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to urgently investigate major global technology firms over alleged practices it says undermine privacy rights, media freedom, fair competition and democratic integrity in Nigeria.
In a petition dated 28 February 2026 and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP urged the Commission to examine allegations against Google, Meta (parent company of Facebook), Apple, Microsoft (Bing), X, TikTok, Amazon and YouTube.
The organisation alleged that the companies deploy opaque algorithms and leverage market dominance in ways that distort Nigeria’s digital economy, suppress local media visibility and compromise consumer rights.
According to SERAP, the FCCPC should take immediate steps to prevent further unfair market practices, algorithmic discrimination, data exploitation and consumer harm, while ensuring compliance with Nigerian laws and international human rights standards.
SERAP also called on the Commission to convene a public hearing to gather evidence from journalists, media organisations, small and medium-scale enterprises, content creators, civil society groups and individual consumers affected by the alleged practices.
The petition, addressed to the FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tunji Bello, stated that dominant digital platforms have become “private gatekeepers” of Nigeria’s information and business ecosystem, influencing public discourse and market competition without sufficient transparency or oversight.
SERAP argued that large-scale collection, retention and monetisation of Nigerians’ personal and behavioural data under complex consent frameworks could interfere with the constitutional right to privacy. It further contended that discriminatory algorithmic ranking, opaque content moderation systems and offshore revenue extraction threaten media plurality and the sustainability of local journalism.
Citing investigations by the South African Competition Commission into Google’s treatment of local media, SERAP noted that remedies in that jurisdiction reportedly included algorithmic transparency requirements, compliance monitoring and financial redress. It urged the FCCPC to adopt similar measures where violations are established.
The organisation referenced concerns reportedly raised by the Nigerian Press Organisation over what it described as structural imbalances created by global technology firms. These include allegations that algorithms controlled outside Nigeria determine content visibility, that Nigerian news content is monetised without proportionate reinvestment in local journalism, and that advertising revenues are increasingly extracted offshore.
SERAP maintained that, if substantiated, the allegations would amount to violations of Sections 17 and 18 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, as well as constitutional guarantees relating to freedom of expression and media freedom.
The group warned that algorithmic opacity and data-driven micro-targeting could also affect the fairness of Nigeria’s forthcoming elections by influencing voter exposure to information without adequate transparency safeguards.
Among other measures, SERAP urged the FCCPC to initiate a full investigation, mandate disclosure of ranking and advertising algorithms with periodic compliance reporting, establish remedial mechanisms including possible compensation for affected media organisations, and impose sanctions where breaches of competition and consumer protection laws are proven.
The FCCPC has yet to publicly respond to the petition.
