Nigeria has announced new regulations that will apply to social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and others

The federal government of Nigeria has proposed new regulations that will apply to social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well as any other social media platform that is currently active in the country. 

Regulating the social media giants is a necessary step in ensuring that Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike will be protected in the country’s digital ecosystem going forward. 

The guidelines were created in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), as well as input from Interactive Computer Service Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Google, and Tik Tok, among others, according to NITDA. 

The Nigerian government is enforcing five regulations on social media platforms: 

1. Nigerian office in the first quarter of 2022.
2. Appointment of a country representative.
3. Compliance with applicable tax obligations.
4. Nigeria to have access to manage ‘prohibited’ content.
5. Respect for Nigerian laws and the national culture and history.

Before Twitter’s suspension was lifted, it appears that it had to agree to these five criteria. 

It has been reported that other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, as well as Google, have accepted the terms. 

Following the lifting of Nigeria’s Twitter ban, the new restrictions were enacted. The regulations were announced by Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) five months after a six-month Twitter ban. 

Last year, Twitter was blocked in Nigeria after it removed a tweet from President Muhammadu Buhari’s account about African freedom of expression. 

The Nigerian government stated that in order to continue functioning in the country, social media sites must adhere to the new restrictions. 

The platform should also give information about problematic accounts, as well as a robust compliance framework, to prevent the publication of unlawful content and unethical behavior on their platforms, according to the code.

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