FG, Google partner to curb Nigerians from using YouTube for hate, false speech

The federal government has met with Google to prohibit outlawed groups and their affiliations from using YouTube channels with a view to broadcasting information.

The new development was disclosed in a statement by Special Assistant to the President (Media), Office of the Minister of Information and Culture, Segun Adeyemi, on Thursday when a Google team visited the Information Minister, Lai Mohammed in Abuja.

Mohammed said that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) uses YouTube to share information adding that Nigerian youths are versatile with social media to earn a living, hence, should not be used to the country’s disadvantage.

Adeyemi, in threads of tweets, revealed the statement on the verified Twitter handle of the Ministry of Information and Culture.

He tweeted: “The @NigeriaGov and Google are collaborating to curb the excesses of subversive YouTube channels which are used to spread hate and disinformation against the country.

“The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who stated this when a team from @Google visited him in Abuja on Thursday, expressed delight that both the Federal Government and Google shared the same concern on the responsible use of Social Media.

“We want Google to look into how to tackle the use of private and unlisted YouTube channels and YouTube livestreams by proscribed groups and terrorist organizations. Channels and emails containing names of proscribed groups and their affiliates should not be allowed on Google platforms,” he said.

“Alhaji Mohammed, who noted that Google is a platform of choice for IPOB, a proscribed terrorist group, implored the tech giant to deny IPOB the use of its platform for its acts of violence and destabilization.

“He said Nigerians are among the most vibrant social media users in the world, with over 100 million Internet users in the country, and that internet platforms such as Google, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and WhatsApp enable Nigerians to interact, share ideas earn a living and participate in social and political affairs.

“The Minister however observed that those platforms are also used by unscrupulous persons or groups for subversive and nefarious activities.

“Alhaji Mohammed said the Federal Nigerian Government recently proposed a “Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/ Internet Intermediaries” in an attempt to provide a framework for collaboratively protecting Nigerian users of Internet platforms.

“This code couldn’t have come at a better time, as the country prepares for general elections next year. We are committed to working with platforms like yours as well as the civil society, lawyers, media practitioners and other relevant stakeholders to ensure responsible use of the Internet and to protect our people from the harmful effects of social media,” he said

“In his remarks, Google Regional Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, Government Affairs and Public Policy, Mr. Charles Murito, said the platform has introduced a programme called “Trusted Flaggers” for citizens trained to track and engage with online contents in order to flag contents of serious concern.

“As I mentioned earlier, we share the same sentiments, we share the same goals and objectives and we do not want our platform to be used for ill purposes,” he said.

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