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There have been many bills, since 2015, that attempted to "end fake news and hate speech" but they have all proved to be excuses to censor free speech. Politicians are now using recent events as an excuse to renew the call for censorship over platforms they consider threatening. https://twitter.com/Ebuka/status/1323544105331367938
The most recent attempt, just before COVID-19 lockdowns in March, was faced with massive opposition to a Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulation Bill before and during the public consultation hosted by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters
According to the @nassnigeria website, and @ParadigmHQ records, the committee report on the bill (sponsored by Sen. Mohammed Musa) has not been made public. That's the report that determines if there will be a 3rd reading (or passage) or death to the bill https://www.nassnig.org/documents/bill/10965
There is another anti-social media bill that hasn't made as much progress in @NGRSenate but that Nigerians must pay attention to: the National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speech bill sponsored by Sen. Abdullahi Aliyu Sabi, who is also from Niger state APC as Sen. Musa
The National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speech bill passed first reading late 2019. Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi's National Assembly page no longer boasts of his sponsorship of the Hate Speech bill (see https://www.nassnig.org/mps/single/390 ) but this is a good time to ask questions.
It's clear that COVID-19 lockdowns affected legislative work but now that they're back at work, it is a great time for citizens to #SayNoToSocialMediaBill loud and clear. These bills hide behind fighting fake news and hate speech to censor free opinion.
As @ParadigmHQ has been saying for a long time ( https://twitter.com/ParadigmHQ/status/1323540693814595584?s=20), legislation is not the answer to the problems of hate speech and fake news. The irony is that those most guilty of hate speech and fake news are these same politicians foaming in the mouth about censorship.
As many would have seen from the letters (from lawyers on behalf of their clients) that have been quite popular on social media over the past few days, there are existing laws that address the problems that these politicians are now calling for new laws for. Deliberate ignorance?
One thing we must keep reminding everyone calling for all shades of censorship is that the terrible laws you support will return to bite you. There was once a powerful National Security Adviser who supported censorship but is now asking for his own rights. Don't be unfortunate!
The hard work of solving the problems of disinformation and dangerous speech (which are not platform-dependent) will include working with the same citizens government now seeks to censor, to promote online community norms that reject - and give no power to - deliberate falsehood
"The Nigerian government is often too lazy to change tactic…so my suspicion is that those two bills will make their way back to the top of @nassnigeria priority list." Read the @qzafrica report on #SayNoToSocialMediaBill via https://qz.com/africa/1926334/endsars-nigerian-government-looks-to-regulate-social-media/amp/
