In a sweeping digital crackdown, Google has removed dozens of Nigerian loan applications from its Play Store following multiple complaints about data breaches, harassment of users, and privacy violations. The move is part of the tech giant’s latest enforcement of its updated policy against “predatory loan apps.”
The action follows a series of reports from the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), which accused several lending platforms of misusing user data, including unauthorized access to contacts, camera, and location and publicly shaming borrowers through unsolicited messages.
“No business has the right to weaponize technology to humiliate its customers,” said FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman Babatunde Irukera during a press briefing in Abuja.
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Google confirmed the removals on Tuesday, stating that the apps in question failed to meet its updated compliance requirements, which now mandate all personal loan apps to provide proof of approval from local regulatory authorities such as the FCCPC’s Limited Interim Regulatory Framework (LIRF).
Among the apps affected are CashLion, GetQuickCash, FastLoan Plus, and several others previously flagged by consumer rights advocates. These platforms had amassed millions of downloads, particularly from low-income Nigerians desperate for emergency funds.
“These apps were not just breaking rules they were breaking people,” said digital rights activist Gbenga Sesan of Paradigm Initiative. “We welcome Google’s action and call on Apple to follow suit.”
In recent months, Nigeria has witnessed a surge in complaints from users who say they were harassed, defamed, and even blackmailed by loan recovery agents using sensitive data obtained from mobile permissions.
One user, who spoke anonymously, described how her employer received slanderous messages from a loan app after she defaulted on a ₦5,000 loan due to medical bills.
“It was humiliating. I almost lost my job,” she said. “They accessed my contacts, sent fake threats to my parents, and even sent my photo around.”
While Google’s intervention is being praised, experts warn that enforcement must go beyond app stores. Many of the affected platforms now operate outside traditional app ecosystems, using direct APK downloads, Telegram channels, and social media ads to reach new victims.
The FCCPC says it is working closely with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and law enforcement to track such rogue apps and prosecute operators under Nigeria’s Data Protection Act 2023.
As financial technology continues to grow in Nigeria, the latest crackdown sends a strong message to fintech companies: innovation cannot come at the expense of human dignity.
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