Facebook, Other Platforms Asked to Curtail Online Hate Speech by Nigerian Government

Facebook had done nothing to curtail the activities of separatist group Indigenous People of Biafra on their platform, stated Information Minister.

By Reuters | Updated: 18 May 2022 11:32 IST

IPOB's leader is standing trial for terrorism and broadcasting falsehoods

Highlights

Facebook is alleged to have yielded the platform for hate campaign
The government does not want to prevent Nigerians from using social media
Nigeria is currently facing secessionist agitation

Nigeria is monitoring Meta Platforms Facebook and other platforms to ensure they comply with demands to curtail hate speech on their sites, as it steps up its campaign for responsible use of social media, Information Minister Lai Mohammed said on Tuesday.

Mohammed's comments came after meeting with Facebook's team in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. He said Facebook had done nothing to curtail the activities of separatist group Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on their platform despite several complaints.

Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB's leader, is standing trial on charges that include terrorism and broadcasting falsehoods. A judge will decide on Wednesday on whether Kanu should be granted bail.

Facebook Owner Meta, Others Asked to Archive Evidence of Russian War Crimes

Mohammed said the separatist group has been classified as a terrorist organisation and that "Facebook has no justification for yielding its platform to the organisation to further its campaign of hate and destabilisation of the country".

Nigeria is facing secessionist agitation which has given rise to regional calls for power-sharing between southern and northern Nigeria.

The country is also dealing with insecurity, banditry, kidnapping, a weak currency amid double-digit inflation and slow growth.

Tech Firms Ask US Supreme Court to Block Texas Social Media Law

Mohammed said the Facebook meeting was called to discuss the increasing use of the social media platform by separatists based outside Nigeria to instigate violence and ethnic hatred in the country in English and local language.

He said the government has no intention of preventing Nigerians from using social media but is advocating responsible use.

Nigeria lifted a six-months ban on Twitter in January after the social media company removed a post from President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish regional secessionists. Telecoms companies subsequently blocked access to users in Nigeria.

How is Alexa faring in India? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.