Meta Platforms Inc., parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has taken steps to resolve its ongoing legal battle with Nigeria’s data watchdog out of court.

On Friday, the company’s lawyers told the Federal High Court in Abuja that Meta and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) have entered advanced settlement discussions regarding a $32.8 million fine and compliance orders imposed on the social media giant for alleged privacy breaches involving Nigerian users.

The disclosure came as Justice James Omotosho was set to rule on NDPC’s preliminary objection against Meta’s lawsuit and the company’s motion to amend its filings. Instead, both parties confirmed they were pursuing a negotiated resolution.

Meta’s lawyer, Fred Onwuobia, SAN, asked the court to defer its ruling, explaining that “draft terms of settlement have been exchanged” and that both sides feared a ruling might derail talks. NDPC’s counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, confirmed this, noting that discussions “have advanced appreciably” and requesting an adjournment to return with terms that could be entered as a consent judgment.

Justice Omotosho agreed, stating that the court “encourages settlement” and adjourned proceedings to October 31, 2025, for either the adoption of settlement terms or the delivery of his consolidated ruling.

The Legal Dispute

The case originated from NDPC’s February 18, 2025, decision to fine Meta and issue eight corrective orders under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, enacted by President Bola Tinubu in June 2023. The regulator acted on a petition from the Personal Data Protection Awareness Initiative (PDPAI), which accused Meta of engaging in behavioral advertising on its platforms without the express consent of Nigerian users.

The NDPC also alleged that Meta failed to submit its 2022 compliance audit, breached cross-border data transfer rules, and even processed data belonging to non-users of its platforms.

Meta challenged both the findings and the process, arguing it had been denied fair hearing and due process. In its filings, the company maintained that the Commission failed to provide adequate notice or an opportunity to respond before issuing enforcement orders. Lead counsel Prof. Gbolahan Elias, SAN, previously urged the court to quash the orders, arguing they violated Section 36 of the Nigerian Constitution.

The NDPC countered that Meta’s suit was “grossly incompetent,” insisting the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction. It further claimed that Meta’s filings were procedurally defective and an attempt to reframe reliefs already decided upon ex-parte.

NDPC’s Broader Regulatory Crackdown

The Meta case is part of a wider crackdown by the NDPC, which has begun flexing its regulatory muscle against major corporations. In a recent parallel action, the regulator fined Multichoice Nigeria N766.2 million for allegedly breaching data privacy rights of both subscribers and non-subscribers, including through illegal cross-border data transfers.

Analysts say these fines signal Nigeria’s intent to enforce its new data protection regime more aggressively. For Meta, however, the penalties represent another clash with regulators over privacy practices. Globally, the company has faced multiple lawsuits and billion-dollar fines in Europe and the U.S. for how it handles user data — battles that have shaped its compliance strategies and reputation.

If settlement talks succeed, the October adjournment could result in a consent judgment, sparing Meta a potentially lengthy legal fight. However, the outcome will also set a precedent for how Nigeria’s new data law is enforced against global tech firms operating in its market.

OpenAI’s latest consumer tool, Sora, has surged to the top of Apple’s App Store as the number one free app in the U.S., despite being accessible only by invitation.

Launched on Tuesday, the app allows iPhone users to generate short-form AI videos that can be shared in a built-in feed, bringing OpenAI squarely into the social media and content creation arena.

Currently, Sora is available only in the U.S. and Canada and requires iOS 18.0 or later. Users must log in with an OpenAI account, request access, and then enter an invite code. Access codes are being prioritized for paying ChatGPT Plus subscribers, though some are circulating informally through OpenAI’s Discord server, Reddit communities, and X. Once granted access, users can create AI-driven videos using text prompts or images, remix other users’ posts, and even cameo as characters in the generated clips.

The app is powered by OpenAI’s new Sora 2.0 model, described by the company as more “physically accurate, realistic, and controllable” than its predecessor, which debuted in early 2024. That model marked a milestone for AI video research, drawing both excitement and scrutiny for its ability to render realistic scenes of people, environments, and objects that obey the laws of physics more convincingly than prior attempts.

The decision to roll out Sora through an invite-only model has helped fuel its rapid rise in visibility. OpenAI has echoed the viral debut of apps like Clubhouse, which leaned on exclusivity and social buzz to build momentum, by topping the iOS charts within days of launch. Screenshots and short clips of Sora-generated videos are already being reposted on TikTok, X, and Instagram, feeding interest among users still waiting for access.

The early traction suggests pent-up demand for consumer-facing AI video tools, a space that until now has been largely dominated by specialized startups like Runway and Pika Labs.

How to get an invite

Getting into Sora is currently a multi-step process. After downloading the app and logging in with an OpenAI account, users are prompted with a “Notify me when access opens” option. That’s followed by a request for an access code.

OpenAI said it is prioritizing ChatGPT Plus subscribers for early access. For everyone else, the fastest route is to track down codes being shared by existing users on the official OpenAI Discord server, Reddit threads, or social media platform X. The app is currently restricted to the U.S. and Canada, though a wider international rollout is planned.

Video as AI’s next frontier

The launch of Sora is being closely watched across Silicon Valley and Hollywood. Video is widely seen as the “holy grail” of generative AI—far more computationally complex and socially impactful than text or still images. While image generators such as MidJourney and DALL-E have become mainstream, high-quality video production remains expensive and limited to small groups of creators.

OpenAI is signaling ambitions to not just power professional content creation but to own the pipeline of casual, everyday AI video use by creating a free, mobile-first app. Analysts note that this move positions OpenAI directly in competition with TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts—all of which thrive on short-form video discovery. If OpenAI can leverage its AI infrastructure to generate fresh, viral content, it could alter the balance of power in the attention economy.

The timing of Sora’s debut also carries strategic weight. TikTok is facing mounting political scrutiny in the U.S., including potential regulatory challenges. Meta continues to experiment with generative AI features on Instagram, while Google-owned YouTube has leaned into creator tools and licensing agreements to manage AI’s role in video.

Meanwhile, OpenAI’s move comes as rivals like Stability AI and Anthropic are racing to refine their own multimodal models. But unlike those players, OpenAI is betting on consumer distribution as much as research.

Challenges and risks ahead

However, the app’s success raises difficult questions. Copyright experts have warned that AI-generated video could accelerate disputes over intellectual property, especially if users “remix” content without attribution. There are also broader concerns about misinformation, given how easily realistic video can be weaponized in politics or social debates. Regulators in the U.S. and Europe are already scrutinizing synthetic media, and Sora’s viral growth may push those conversations to the forefront.

From a business perspective, scaling video generation is also costly. Training and running multimodal models requires massive compute power, and serving millions of consumer users will put pressure on OpenAI’s partnerships with Microsoft Azure and other infrastructure providers.

Despite the risks, Sora’s rapid ascent underscores how aggressively OpenAI is moving to establish itself as more than a research lab or enterprise partner. With ChatGPT already entrenched in the productivity space, Sora opens a new front: entertainment, creativity, and social engagement.

For now, the invite-only strategy is keeping demand high, and Sora’s climb to the top of the App Store charts suggests that OpenAI has once again tapped into the viral edge of consumer AI.

OnePay, the fintech firm majority-owned by Walmart, is preparing to add cryptocurrency trading and custody to its mobile app later this year, CNBC has learned.

The move will allow users to buy, sell, and hold bitcoin and ether directly inside the app, with the help of startup Zerohash, according to people with knowledge of the matter who declined to be identified before an official announcement.

Building Toward the “Super App”

Founded in 2021 by Walmart and venture firm Ribbit Capital, OnePay has steadily layered services onto its platform as it aims to become an American “super app,” comparable to China’s WeChat or Southeast Asia’s Grab. Its services now include high-yield savings accounts, credit and debit cards, buy-now-pay-later loans, and even wireless plans.

OnePay strengthens its pitch as a one-stop destination for financial and lifestyle services by adding crypto. Customers will soon be able to hold bitcoin and ether in-app, convert digital tokens into cash, and spend balances on purchases or use them to pay off card debts.

Although spokespeople for New York-based OnePay and Chicago-based Zerohash declined to comment, insiders said the move is considered a “core offering” in the company’s growth roadmap.

The timing reflects a broader shift in Washington. Since President Donald Trump’s election, federal regulators have adopted a friendlier stance toward digital assets, giving financial firms more room to innovate.

Wall Street giants are seizing the opening. Last month, Morgan Stanley announced it would soon allow retail investors to trade crypto through its E-Trade subsidiary.

Zerohash, meanwhile, is positioning itself at the center of this transformation. The company raised $104 million last month from financial heavyweights, including Morgan Stanley and Interactive Brokers, part of its plan to become the default back-end provider for banks and brokers entering crypto.

Competing in a Crowded Market

The expansion comes amid intense competition for OnePay. Most of its rivals — from PayPal and Venmo to Block’s Cash App and Robinhood — already offer crypto trading.

Even so, OnePay’s rapid ascent has been striking. It is now ranked No. 5 on Apple’s App Store list of free finance apps, ahead of JPMorgan Chase, Robinhood, and Chime. The handful of apps above it, including PayPal and Cash App, all offer crypto, suggesting OnePay’s move is designed to close one of its last major product gaps.

OnePay also enjoys a unique distribution advantage through Walmart’s retail footprint. The app is integrated directly into Walmart’s physical and online checkout process, exposing it to the 150 million Americans who shop at the retailer every week.

Crucially, Walmart structured OnePay as an independent company to ensure it could expand beyond Walmart’s core customer base and appeal to Americans underserved by traditional banks.

Risks and Challenges Ahead

The crypto industry remains volatile, and even with a friendlier political climate, future administrations or regulators could revisit stricter oversight. That risk is compounded by the fact that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether can swing sharply in value, potentially deterring mainstream consumers who are new to digital assets.

Integrating crypto seamlessly into OnePay’s broader suite of services could also prove challenging. Analysts have pointed to execution as a critical factor that will significantly determine its success. This is because glitches, compliance missteps, or security issues could erode the trust OnePay has built among its growing user base.

Finally, by moving deeper into crypto, OnePay risks exposing itself to the same reputational and regulatory pressures that have dogged larger players. Apps like PayPal and Robinhood have faced questions over consumer protections and transparency in their crypto products. Similar scrutiny could quickly follow OnePay as it scales.

However, the addition of crypto underscores OnePay’s ambition to become an all-in-one hub for finance and payments, marking Walmart’s most expansive foray yet into digital banking. It is believed that in a financial landscape where the lines between retailers, banks, and fintechs continue to blur, OnePay’s move is as much about future-proofing as it is about growth.