Google has been requested by the Federal Government to prevent IPOB and others from exploiting their platform for acts of violence and destabilization.
This is happening at the same time as the Federal Government has encouraged the search engine to work with it to stop the abuse of subversive YouTube channels that are used to propagate misinformation and hatred for the nation.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, requested it when a Google team paid him a visit on Thursday in Abuja. He expressed his happiness that Google and the Federal Government both had the same concerns about using social media responsibly.
“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.
The minister pleaded with Google to forbid IPOB from using its platform for its violent deeds and destabilizing activities after pointing out that IPOB is a terrorist organization that has been outlawed.
With over 100 million Internet users, he claimed that Nigerians are among the most active social media users in the world and that platforms like Google, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and WhatsApp allow Nigerians to socialize, share ideas, make a living, and take part in social and political matters.
However, the Minister noted that shady individuals or organizations also exploit these platforms for harmful and subversive operations.
In an effort to establish a framework for cooperatively protecting Nigerian consumers of Internet platforms, according to Alhaji Mohammed, the Federal Government of Nigeria recently proposed a “Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/ Internet Intermediaries”
“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 a 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.
Mr. Adewolu Adene, the Google Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager, stated that “Equiano,” a subsea cable that recently arrived in Nigeria from Portugal, is intended to improve connectivity and access to the internet as well as to lower the cost of data in order to foster job growth and the dissemination of knowledge.
He declared that 30 media outlets, including the fact-checking website Dubawa, would receive a $3.2 million grant under the Google News Initiative Challenge in appreciation for their creative efforts in the information dissemination field.
The Federal Ministry of Information and Culture and Google will collaborate to digitize the recently repatriated antiquities in order to preserve them and make them available to a wider audience via Google Arts and Culture, Mr. Adene further promised.
