Despite its vast global user base, WhatsApp, the world’s most popular messaging app with over two billion monthly active users, is still grappling with restrictions in certain countries due to regulatory challenges.
The platform, available in more than 180 countries and 60 languages, facilitates the exchange of 100 billion messages daily.
However, recent reports suggest that WhatsApp may face an exit from Nigeria following allegations of data privacy violations.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has reportedly imposed a $220 million penalty on the messaging platform for breaches related to user data privacy, raising concerns about its continued operation in the country.
According to a report by Techcabal, WhatsApp responded that it may consider “withdrawing certain services” in Nigeria due to the FCCPC’s penalty.
8 countries where WhatsApp is either blocked or restricted
With the development, this report presents eight other countries that have either banned Whatsapp operations in their countries or restricted certain features of the app:
| S/N | Country | Whatsapp Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | Banned |
| 2 | North Korea | Banned |
| 3 | Syria | Banned |
| 4 | Iran | Banned |
| 5 | Qatar | Restricted |
| 6 | Saudi Arabia | Restricted |
| 7 | Egypt | Restricted |
| 8 | Uae | Restricted |
For China, North Korea, Syria and Iran, WhatsApp’s operations have been blocked in the country as residents don’t have any access to send messages from the app.
For the other countries which include Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE, audio and video calls have been restricted in the country while messaging is still allowed.
According to some of the countries that have outrightly banned WhatsApp, the reason has been centred on the need to regulate information flow and promote the local telecommunication companies in the country.
In Nigeria, the FCCPC in a statement said WhatsApp was investigated for allegedly violating the Consumer Protection Act and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).
FCCPC further explained that WhatsApp pre-ticked terms and conditions for Nigerian users prevented them from opting out of data sharing, and shared their data without explicit consent. The body noted that this was different from the platform’s rules in other jurisdictions with comparable data protection standards and laws.
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