The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has fined MultiChoice Nigeria ₦766,242,500 for violating the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA).
The penalty follows an investigation that began in the second quarter of 2024 into potential breaches of subscribers’ data privacy and unauthorised cross-border transfers of personal information.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, Babatunde Bamigboye, NDPC’s Head of Legal, Enforcement, and Regulations, said the company was found to have infringed on the data privacy rights of its subscribers and third parties associated with them.
“NDPC found, among other things, that MultiChoice violated the data privacy rights of its subscribers and individuals associated with them who are not necessarily subscribers,” the statement said.
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According to Bamigboye, the fine came after an investigation into possible violations of subscribers’ privacy rights and the illegal cross-border transfer of Nigerians’ data started in the second quarter of 2024.
“The commission also discovered that MultiChoice engaged in the illegal cross-border transfer of personal data belonging to Nigerian data subjects,” the statement stressed.
“The depth of data processing by Multichoice is patently intrusive, unfair, unnecessary, and disproportionate.”
“This is a grave affront to the fundamental right to privacy as enshrined in section 37 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Bamigboye said.
Nigeria’s commitment to safeguard its citizens
Bamigboye noted that according to the NDPA standard remediation procedure, the commission instructed Multichoice to implement the necessary remedial measures during the investigation.
“However, the commission found the measures undertaken by Multichoice in this regard unsatisfactory.”
“For want of cooperation, the commission has directed Multichoice to pay N766,242,500 for violating the Nigeria Data Protection Act,” he added.
NDPC to investigate infractions by channels
Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner of the NDPC, directed further investigation into all platforms and channels used by MultiChoice to collect Nigerians’ personal data, warning that all organisations handling such data are subject to the NDPA and its enforcement mechanisms.
As Nigeria’s data protection authority, the NDPC enforces compliance through legal bases such as consent, contract, and legal obligation.
The fine follows Multichoice’s fiscal year report, which revealed a 44 percent decline in subscription revenue which fell to $197.74 million from $355.93 million the previous year.
The drop is attributed to rising inflation and subscriber losses due to economic challenges.