Meta Appeals Nigeria Ruling on Facebook Ad Tracking

In Short

• Meta has appealed a Lagos High Court ruling on Facebook and Instagram ad tracking in Nigeria.
• The judgment said Meta unlawfully processed user data for behavioural advertising.
• The dispute now moves to Nigeria’s Court of Appeal.

What Happened

Meta has filed an appeal against a Lagos High Court judgment that restricts how it can use Nigerians’ Facebook and Instagram data for behavioural advertising. Behavioural advertising is targeted ads based on what you do online, like pages you follow or posts you engage with.

The notice of appeal was filed on September 30, 2026, days after the court decision delivered by Justice A.F. Pokanu of the Lagos High Court, Ikorodu Judicial Division. The ruling ordered Meta to stop what the court described as unlawful collection, profiling, and use of personal data for targeted advertising.

The court also awarded damages of $100,000 in naira equivalent to the claimant. It found that Meta’s data practices, when done without consent, violated privacy rights under Nigeria’s Constitution and the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023.

The appeal puts several issues in front of the Court of Appeal. These include what counts as valid consent for ad tracking, whether users can be effectively forced to accept tracking to keep using a service, and how cross-border data transfers should work. Cross-border data transfers mean moving Nigerians’ personal data to servers outside Nigeria for processing.

Why It Matters

This case could shape how major consumer internet platforms run ads in Nigeria. If the original judgment stands, it may push social media and ad-driven apps to redesign consent flows, tracking defaults, and data sharing between services.

It also signals rising enforcement pressure around privacy and data protection compliance. For startups and enterprises that use targeted advertising, the outcome could affect campaign performance, audience targeting, and the amount of user data available for ad personalisation.

Beyond advertising, the dispute could set a clearer standard for when Nigerian user data can be transferred abroad, and what legal safeguards companies must prove before doing so.