Social media has been one of the most powerful tools in the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has helped keep us informed about whatâs going on, but for the #EndSARS movement in Nigeria, itâs been vital.
While the Nigerian government claims to accept protestersâ demands against police brutality, they donât like whatâs been put out to the public. So much so that they have been trying to shut social media down to avoid spreading âfake newsâ reports that may âdestabilizeâ Nigeria.
In a recent media briefing Lai Mohammed, Nigeriaâs information minister, said, âWe need a technology to shut down social media at will when it becomes a menace to the countryâs security.â Unfortunately, this isnât the first time thereâs been an attempt to regulate the internet and social media.
The Nigerian government attempted this in December 2015, proposing a âfrivolous petitionsâ bill which would give citizens jail time and a $10,000 fine for social media posts that were found to be in contravention of the proposed law. According to Quartz, the bill was withdrawn six months later after much public criticism.
Nigerian government officials are in the process of resurrecting two existing bill proposals that have been in the works with the countryâs lawmakers. Those bills are the âProtection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulation Billâ and the âNational Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speech Bill, â aka the social media bill.
Under the social media bill, officials would cut off internet access and or block social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter at their liking. Gbenga Sesan, a digital rights activist, spoke about how the bills seek to âaddress the twin issues of disinformation and dangerous speech, even though both target social media.â Gbenga said. âThe Nigerian government is often too lazy to change tacticâŚso my suspicion is that those two bills will make their way back to the top of the National Assemblyâs priority list.â
Digital media rights advocates believe this new bill attempts to stifle any online expression.
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The post #EndSARS: Nigerian Government Tries To Regulate Internet And Social Media By Resurrecting 2015 Social Media Bill appeared first on The Shade Room.