Six Reasons Why The Social Media Regulation Bill Is Dangerous
Since the End SARS protests across the country ended, Nigerian lawmakers have been working double-time to pass a social media bill (officially named Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulation Bill) that is bound to infringe on the rights of citizens to freedom of information, speech, and expression.
Their thinking is that Nigerian youths have too much power through social media. Gbenga Sesan, social entrepreneur, author and Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, a social enterprise that fights for digital inclusion and rights, sheds more light on what the social media bill means.
He says, ‘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’.
Lawmakers are working hard to pass the social media bill for all the wrong reasons. Here are six of those reasons that prove that the government is not only deaf to citizen complaints but also show that the social media bill is dangerous to Nigeria’s democracy.
1. The government will have more power to gag the press: The government already has a tight leash on traditional media, and they will also use this bill to gag online media from sharing true information across all social media platforms.
The bill directly targets, but is not limited to Radio/TV stations, Online/print newspapers, Journalists, On-air personalities (OAP), Website hosts, Bloggers, YouTube channels, Social media influencers, and internet service providers.
Techpoint Africa posits that ‘Targeting these institutions/individuals means access to information could be either controlled/doctored by the government at best or simply non-existent at worst.’
2. The bill will take away your freedom of speech: The only reason the government is angling for the social media Bill is so that they can stifle the newfound voice of passionate Nigerian youth.
A section of the social media bill prescribes a fine of ₦300,000 or three-year jail term or both for anyone found guilty of making statements that “diminish public confidence in the performance of any duty or function, or the exercise of any power of the Government.”
This means that there’s a chance you’ll end up in jail every time you call out Buhari or other politicians for bad governance.
3. It will be harder to pass across vital information: The #EndSARS protest worked as well as it did because protesters had social media to mobilise. They will take away that general forum if they succeed in passing the social media bill.
It is important to note that the bill affects all social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and worst of all, WhatsApp. Even your parents, most of whom swear by WhatsApp, may face dire consequences if they share information that the government deems to be ‘threatening’ to the security of Nigeria.
4. They will block access to the global community: Without social media, the End SARS movement would never have gained as much traction as it did.
Part 3 (12) of the Social media bill states: Law Enforcement Department may direct the NCC to order the internet access provider to take reasonable steps to disable access by end-users in Nigeria to the online location (called in this Clause an access blocking order), and NCC must give the internet access provider an access blocking order (emphasis ours).
An internet service provider that refuses to obey the order on conviction by a court may be fined N10 million for each day the order is not obeyed.
In simple English, this means that certain security bodies can shut down the internet with approval from any court if they decide that the internet is ‘posing a threat to national security’.
5. They will have the freedom to push their propaganda: The government will share information the way they want Nigerians to believe it if they have control of social media. They will restrict the kind of information each user can publish.
The Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulation Bill contains provisions against sharing statements ‘considered’ to be harmful to the security of Nigeria.
Section 3 of the bill states that such statements are ‘likely to be prejudicial to the security of Nigeria, public safety, tranquillity, public finances and friendly relations of Nigeria with other countries’. This could be easily abused to punish critics of government policies and actions, and anyone who asks difficult questions could find themselves liable for ‘diminishing public confidence in the government.’
6. Many people will lose their source of Income: A lot of young Nigerians make a living off social media. Many of them would lose their source of income, have to pay fines, or face imprisonment for up to three years if the Senate passes the social media bill. The bill imposes harsh penalties for tweets or text messages that convey ‘false statements’ about “a group of persons” or an “institution of government.”
Recent events by the government prove that they have mastered the art of turning real information into lies to suit their narratives. What is to say that the government won’t twist every story, and then go after people who have real information, while claiming the news they’ve shared is fake? If this ever happens, a large majority of social media influencers and online media may be facing a loss of their livelihoods and severe punishment.
Careful consideration of the social media bill by any right-thinking Nigerian will lead to a series of questions. The bill is largely undemocratic and open to too many interpretations because of its ambiguity. Young Nigerians must come together to fight that bill fiercely as it will be disastrous to Nigerian democracy if the Senate passes it into law. It is time to ‘soro soke’ and say “No to social media bill”.
