NPO backs probe of Meta, Google over content use

The Nigerian Press Organisation has welcomed President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to investigate the activities of major global technology companies and generative artificial intelligence platforms operating in Nigeria.

The organisation described the move as a significant step towards addressing concerns over the use of journalistic content by digital platforms and ensuring fair competition in the country’s media industry.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Deputy President of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria and the Nigerian Press Organisation, Frank Aigbogun, the NPO said the presidential directive followed a joint petition submitted to the Federal Government by its member organisations, comprising the NPAN, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers.

According to the organisation, a delegation met with the President in March to raise concerns over what it described as the growing threat posed by major technology companies and artificial intelligence platforms to the sustainability of Nigeria’s media ecosystem.

The NPO said it was encouraged that the Federal Government had initiated an investigation into the matter.

It alleged that dominant digital platforms, including Meta, Alphabet, X and some generative AI companies, have engaged in practices that undermine fair competition by using original journalistic content without adequate compensation to publishers.

The organisation said that, beyond commercial concerns, the lack of transparency and accountability by some technology companies also posed challenges to journalism as a public-interest institution.

It noted that similar regulatory efforts had been undertaken in other jurisdictions, including South Africa, and expressed optimism that the investigation would help promote a more balanced relationship between digital platforms and Nigerian media organisations.

The NPO also welcomed the assurance by the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Tunji Bello, that the inquiry would be conducted independently, transparently and based on available evidence.

The organisation pledged to cooperate fully with the commission by providing relevant information and evidence to support the investigation.