The federal government of Nigeria through the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), last month issued an Internet code of practice for interactive computer service platforms/internet the conditions for operation in the country.
The code of practice was introduced to protect the fundamental human rights of Nigerians and non-Nigerians living in the country, as well as define guidelines for interacting in the digital ecosystem.
It was developed in collaboration with the NCC and NBC, as well as input from other interactive platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Instagram, among others.
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As the new global reality shows that activities carried out on those platforms wield so much influence over society which ought to be so, hence the code of practice is an intervention to recalibrate the relationship with Nigerians in order to maximize mutual benefits for the country while promoting a sustainable digital economy.
Just recently, Nigeria Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Prof. Isa Pantami who was represented at an event by the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa disclosed that the federal government had to come up with the internet code of practice to prevent big tech companies from becoming dictators and bigger than the government.
Pantami further stated that given the fact that Nigeria is a democratic republic, there is a need for the government to be vigilant at all times. The minister likened the current big tech executives to Kings, Emperors, and military dictators, adding that there is a strange power that dominates humans.
He cited the U.S election where big tech companies had a major influence on the outcome of the election surpassing that of the government.
In his words, “In the federal republic of Nigeria, we shouldn’t allow anyone have an unaccountable power over others. Today looking at the social media incident before the U.S election, it indicated that Big tech companies have more power than the government. Users are compelled to obey the big tech rules because of the restrictions and sanctions in its usage. For example, if you use Twitter, there is a limit of the number of words you can tweet”.
The minister concluded by saying that those who are in control of the online space must be held accountable. He believes that such scrutiny of the online space is necessary because today’s technology has become central to our social, economic, and political lives, therefore these big tech companies should be controlled.
What You Should Know About The Internet Code Of Practice
Part of the code of Practice dictates that social media platforms must do the following below;
- Act expeditiously upon receiving a notice from a user, or an authorised government agency of the presence of an unlawful content on its Platform. A Platform must acknowledge the receipt of the complaint and take down the content within 24 hours.
- Act expeditiously to remove, disable, or block access to non-consensual content that exposes a person’s private areas, full or partial nudity, sexual act, deepfake, or revenge porn, where such content is targeted to harass, disrepute, or intimidate an individual. A Platform must acknowledge the receipt of the complaint and take down the content within 24 hours.
- Disclose the identity of the creator of information on its Platform when directed to do so by a Court order. Provided that an order of this nature shall apply for the purpose of preventing, detecting, investigating, or prosecuting an offence concerning the sovereignty and integrity of Nigeria, public order, security, diplomatic relationships, felony, incitement of an offence relating to any of the above or in relation to rape, child abuse, or sexually explicit material.
- Where the first creator of the message in question is located outside Nigeria, the first creator of that information in Nigeria shall be deemed to be the first creator. Exercise due diligence to ensure that no unlawful content is uploaded to their Platform. Where a Platform receives a notice from a user or any authorised government agency that an unlawful content has been uploaded, such Platform is required to take it down and ensure it stays down.
The implementation of the Internet code of Practice was followed with huge criticism from Nigerians. They disclosed that such a code is simply a tool for the abuse of the Constitutional rights of the citizens.
A coalition of civil society organizations in the country sent a memo to the NITDA agency urging them to amend certain provisions of the code of practice.
They further disclosed that while the code of practice seeks to protect the digital rights of Nigerians online, it should not be used in the same vein to harass, stifle and unlawfully infringe the rights of the citizens.