The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has imposed a ₦766,242,500 fine on Multichoice Nigeria, the South African-owned pay-TV provider, for violating the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDP Act).

In a statement issued on Sunday, Babatunde Bamigboye, Head of Legal, Enforcement, and Regulations at the NDPC, said the sanction followed a year-long investigation into suspected breaches of subscribers’ privacy rights and illegal cross-border transfers of Nigerians’ personal data.

“NDPC found, among others, that Multichoice violated the data privacy rights of subscribers and their friends who are not necessarily subscribers,” Bamigboye said.

According to the commission, Multichoice’s data processing practices were deemed “intrusive, unfair, unnecessary, and disproportionate,” violating Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution which guarantees the right to privacy.

“Nigeria is entitled to protect her citizens and data sovereignty under both international and national laws. These have implications for the rule of law, national security, and economic growth,” the NDPC stated.

While the commission directed the company to implement remedial measures, it found Multichoice’s compliance efforts inadequate and cited a lack of cooperation.

“For want of cooperation, the Commission has directed Multichoice to pay ₦766,242,500 for violating the Nigeria Data Protection Act,” the statement added.

The NDPC National Commissioner, Dr Vincent Olatunji, has further directed an investigation into all Multichoice data collection outlets across Nigeria to determine their level of compliance.

He warned that any outlet processing data in violation of the Act would also face sanctions in line with the law.