U.S ANNOUNCES VISA CURBS FOR SOME FOREIGN NATIONALS IN SOUTH AFRICA. (PHOTO).

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 U.S announces visa curbs for some foreign nationals in South Africa Secretary of State Marco Rubio ‌said on Tuesday the U.S. government was announcing a new visa restriction ​policy targeting some foreign nationals ​in South Africa. The policy targets "foreign ⁠nationals who are responsible for, ​or complicit in, the enactment or ​implementation of laws or policies that enable uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination, and/or ​the incitement of imminent violence ​against members of minority ethnic or racial ‌groups ⁠in South Africa," Rubio said in a statement. "The South African government has not adequately addressed the ​previously laid ​out ⁠concerns," Rubio said, Reuters reported. Relations between Washington and Pretoria have ​soured since the start of ​Donald ⁠Trump's second term, with the U.S. president criticizing the country ⁠for ​its policies aimed at ​addressing racial inequality.

WHATSAPP MAY EXIT NIGERIA OVER $220M FINE. (PHOTO).


 WhatsApp may exit Nigeria over $220m fine


One week after Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission imposed a $220 million fine on WhatsApp for a data privacy breach, the company may suspend its operations in the country due to further regulatory demands.


Sources close to the situation indicate that Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, is contemplating the withdrawal of certain services from Nigeria.


Alongside the substantial fine, the FCCPC has directed WhatsApp to cease sharing user data with other Facebook companies and third parties without explicit user consent. The commission also requires WhatsApp to disclose details about its data collection practices and to enhance user control over data usage.


In response, a WhatsApp spokesperson emailed TechCabal, “We want to be clear that, technically, based on the order, it would be impossible to provide WhatsApp in Nigeria or globally.” The spokesperson criticized the FCCPC’s order as flawed, asserting that it inaccurately portrays WhatsApp’s data handling and would necessitate significant changes to the platform’s infrastructure.


Meta has not addressed the FCCPC’s allegations regarding user opt-out options from the 2021 privacy policy but maintains that the update does not involve sharing user data. The company’s privacy policy states, “While traditionally mobile carriers and operators store this information, we believe that keeping these records for two billion users would be both a privacy and security risk and we don’t do it.”


The potential suspension of WhatsApp could have significant repercussions for individuals and small businesses in Nigeria, many of whom rely on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook for customer engagement.


Some privacy lawyers have questioned the FCCPC’s use of the National Data Protection Regulation as the foundation for the fine. Enacted in 2019 by the National Information Technology Development Agency, the NDPR is Nigeria’s principal data protection framework. Two unnamed lawyers have expressed doubts about the NDPR’s authority in such a high-stakes matter and questioned whether a government regulation can be deemed definitive in privacy issues.


Additionally, two unnamed government officials have raised concerns about the fairness of the $220 million fine. “We are too revenue-focused. What is the opportunity cost of $220 million in government coffers?” questioned an industry expert.


Should WhatsApp choose to halt its operations in Nigeria due to these demands, both the FCCPC and the Nigerian government will face significant scrutiny and consequences.

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