Tinubu Orders Probe into Google, Meta, X, AI Platforms Over Nigerian News Content

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies, including Google, Meta, X (formerly Twitter) and several generative AI platforms, over allegations of exploiting Nigerian media content without fair compensation.

The investigation follows a joint petition submitted by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which represents the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).

According to the FCCPC, the probe will examine allegations of anti-competitive practices, unlawful use of copyrighted news content, market dominance, and the scraping and commercial use of Nigerian journalistic materials to train artificial intelligence models.

FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tunji Bello said the investigation would be independent, transparent, and evidence-based, stressing that no company is presumed guilty and that all parties will be given an opportunity to present their case.

The commission will also investigate complaints that Nigerian publishers have been denied fair negotiations and compensation for the use of their content on digital platforms.

The move comes amid growing global efforts to regulate the relationship between technology companies and news publishers. Countries such as South Africa have already reached agreements requiring platforms like Google to compensate local media organizations for using their content.

The outcome of the Nigerian investigation could significantly influence the future of digital regulation, media sustainability, and AI governance in the country.

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