Renowned
human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has filed a $5
million lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook,
for allegedly invading his privacy.
The
suit lodged before a Lagos High Court, accuses the social media giant of
falsely associating him with a misleading health advertisement.
Falana
contends that Meta, owned by Mark Zuckerberg, published a video under the name
'AfriCare Health Center' on Facebook, falsely claiming that he had been
battling prostatitis for over 16 years.
He
argues that this publication, which included his name, image, and purported
voice, is a clear violation of his fundamental right to privacy as enshrined in
Section 37 of the Nigerian Constitution (as amended) and the Nigeria Data
Protection Act 2023.
Through his legal counsel, Olumide Babalola, Falana is seeking a court declaration that Meta's publication constitutes an invasion of his privacy. He has also requested an order.