On Monday, the Nigerian government released new laws for Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms.
Hadiza Umar, a spokesman for the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said the new guidelines were aimed to protect Nigerians and foreigners living in the country, as well as specify guidelines for engagement on digital platforms, in a statement released in Abuja.
The platforms are required to register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and appoint a designated national representative to interact with Nigerian authorities under the new legislation.
They must also comply with all regulatory requirements and appropriate tax duties imposed by Nigerian law on their operations.
The news comes more than a year after Nigeria’s federal government stopped Twitter operations due to alleged inappropriate usage of the microblogging network.
The Federal Government on Monday issued new regulations for Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms in Nigeria.
The spokesperson for the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Hadiza Umar, who announced the new guidelines in a statement in Abuja, said they were designed to protect Nigerians and foreigners living in the country as well as define guidelines for interaction on the digital platforms.
Under the new regulations, the platforms are expected to register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and appoint a designated country representative to interface with Nigerian authorities.
They are also to comply with all regulatory demands and all applicable tax obligations on its operations under Nigerian law.
The development came more than one year after the federal government suspended Twitter operations in Nigeria over alleged use of the microblogging platform for unacceptable activities.
The statement read: “For moderation of content, the internet platforms are to provide a comprehensive compliance mechanism to avoid publication of prohibited contents and unethical behaviour on their platform.
“They will provide information to authorities on harmful accounts, suspected botnets, troll groups, and other coordinated disinformation networks and delete any information that violates Nigerian law within an agreed time.
“The new rules are developed in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), as well as input from Interactive Computer Service Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Google, and Tik Tok amongst others.”
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Source: Nyscinfo