Nigeria’s National Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has launched a formal investigation into Chinese e-commerce giant Temu amid growing concerns that the platform may be flouting the country’s Data Protection Act (NDPA).
Vincent Olatunji, the NDPC’s national commissioner and CEO, revealed that preliminary findings point to potential violations spanning online surveillance, transparency, data minimisation, accountability, duty of care, and the cross-border transfer of personal information — areas considered critical under Nigerian data protection law.
The investigation carries significant weight given the platform’s reach. Temu reportedly holds personal data belonging to approximately 12.7 million Nigerians and serves an estimated 70 million users daily across the globe.
The Commission has put processors working on behalf of data controllers on notice, warning that failure to verify compliance with the NDPA could expose them to legal liability. Babatunde Bamigboye, who heads Legal, Enforcement and Regulations at the NDPC, stressed that strict observance of the law is non-negotiable, adding that continued non-compliance could escalate into full enforcement action.
The probe fits into a wider regulatory push to examine how foreign e-commerce platforms handle, store, and transmit Nigerian users’ personal data, particularly when that data crosses international borders.
As of press time, Temu had not issued any public statement in response to the NDPC’s directive.
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