Nigeria Probes Tech Firms Over AI Content Use

Nigeria has launched an investigation into a number of large technology and artificial intelligence companies over allegations of unlawfully using journalistic content and engaging in anti-competitive business practices, in the country’s most robust effort yet to regulate the relationship between digital platforms and local media organisations.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) said the investigation was prompted by a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu following a joint petition by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which represents newspaper publishers, journalists and online media operators across the country.

The FCCPC said its investigation would look into claims that technology companies used news content without permission to develop and train generative artificial intelligence systems. It will also investigate allegations of market dominance, unfair competition and the failure of major digital platforms to pay Nigerian media organisations fairly for the use of their content that attracts users to their services.

The complaints target Meta, Alphabet, which owns Google and YouTube, X, formerly known as Twitter, and other generative AI companies not named by the regulator. The companies had not responded to requests for comment at the time of the announcement.

The FCCPC observes that Nigerian publishers are increasingly feeling that big tech firms are commercially profiting from locally produced journalism, without giving media organisations meaningful opportunities to negotiate licensing agreements or revenue-sharing arrangements.

The move mirrors similar regulatory moves in countries like Canada and Australia, where governments have passed laws requiring tech companies to pay news publishers for using their content.

In his remarks, the FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman, Tunji Bello, said the inquiry is not to preclude any wrongdoing but to establish facts, hear all concerned and determine if there are any breaches of Nigeria’s competition and consumer protection laws.

Nigeria, Africa’s largest internet market, has over 154 million internet subscriptions, and the result of the investigation could be important to the country’s media industry and global technology firms.

SOURCE: AFP