Why Nigeria Government Wants Firewall From China

Following the ban on operations of Twitter in Nigeria on Thursday last week, which led to the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) by some Nigerians to bypass the Twitter ban, the federal government of Nigeria has reportedly contacted China to build an internet that will be exclusively used by Nigeria and be monitored by the Firewall Technology which will allow the government regulate and censor internet contents.

This means that Nigeria will no longer be connected to the type of internet used by the rest of the world.

This same technology is understood by experts to be the technology being used in places like China and North Korea where internet is heavily controlled by the governments.

In this article, we will tell you all you need to know about the Firewall technology and how it will work when it is built and deployed in Nigeria.

What Is Firewall?

Firewall is a software used to create separate internet network for selected geographical location, to enable a government or an entity retain control over social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and others. It is believed that this is what China uses to control the internet in its territories. It is known in China as the “Great Firewall”.

According to technology experts, the firewall makes high-scale use of Deep Packet Inspection technology, a highly sophisticated tool used in examining and managing network traffic. This is what reports are saying that the Nigerian government want to build in order to be able to have control of the Nigerian internet space. Further reports confirmed that China is the only country that uses this type of powerful technology in its cyberspace.

What will Firewall do in Nigeria?

1. It will give the Nigerian government control of the internet.

2. The federal government will be able to block VPN, meaning that people will no longer be able to bypass the ban by using VPN.

3. The government will be able to regulate usernames on the Nigerian internet and filter or completely ban comments that are considered harmful to the country or threatens national security.

Will Nigerians be able to find their ways around this?

As of the time of writing this article, it was not known if Nigerian technology industry guys will be able to develop a software that can bypass the surveillance tool when and if it is built and deployed in Nigeria. Meanwhile, the possibility of a counter software cannot be ruled out because Nigerian tech ecosystem is considered to be one of the most talented in the world.

Conclusion

This article explains how firewall will work when and if it is put to service in Nigeria, and the effects it will have on Nigerian citizens. Be assured that we will update you with new information concerning this news.