- Safiu Kehinde
The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) is set to probe Temu, an e-commerce online marketplace over alleged data breach against the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA).
This was made known in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja by Babatunde Bamigboye, Head, Legal, Enforcement and Regulations of the commission.
According to Bamigboye, the NDPC National Commissioner, Dr Vincent Olatunji, gave the directives following concerns relating to online surveillance, personal data processing practices and compliance obligations under the Act.
He said the probe was triggered by issues surrounding accountability, data minimisation requirements, transparency, duty of care and cross-border transfer of personal data.
Preliminary findings indicated that Temu processes personal information of about 12.7 million data subjects in Nigeria, while the platform recorded approximately 70 million daily active users globally.
Bamigboye said the commission warned that data processors, who carried out processing activities on behalf of data controllers without verifying their compliance with the provisions of the NDPA could be held liable under the law.
“Findings on the investigation would be made public as it progressed.” He said.
The NDPC’s spokesperson reiterated the commission’s commitment to protect the privacy rights of Nigerians and ensuring that organisations handling personal data operated within the framework of the country’s data protection regulations.