Nigerian Court Rules Truecaller's Consent Does Not Cover Contacts Data
A Nigerian court has ruled that Truecaller's user consent framework does not extend to the personal data of individuals stored in a user's contacts list. The decision is described as a landmark ruling that reshapes compliance obligations for data-driven startups operating in Nigeria.
Nigeria Privacy: your contacts never consented — and they still can't sue
A Lagos High Court just ruled that when you grant an app access to your phonebook, you cannot legally consent on behalf of everyone in it. The people whose numbers get uploaded, stored, and searched never agreed to any of it — and under Nigeria's Data Protection Act, that matters.
But here's the uncomfortable half of the ruling: the court denied damages to those same people, because they couldn't prove concrete harm.
So the law now says platforms like Truecaller lack a lawful basis to process third-party contacts data — yet the individuals exposed walk away with nothing. A right without a remedy is a warning to companies, not a protection for people.
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- A Nigerian court says Truecaller’s consent doesn’t cover the data in your contacts · techcabal.com · T1