Monitoring Disinformation, Nigeria Asks Social Media Companies To Open Operational Offices In Their Country

JAKARTA - Online platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Tiktok will be required to register and open an office in Nigeria and appoint a liaison with the government. this new draft regulation emerged from Nigeria's information technology development agency.

"The code of practice for "interactive computer service platforms/internet intermediaries" is intended to curb online abuse, including disinformation and misinformation," the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) said in a regulation posted on its website.

A statement from a spokesman for the agency dated June 13 said the regulations were developed in part after input from Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Google, and TikTok.

The platform is popular in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with more than 200 million people.

NIDTA said that the platform would be required to provide users with relevant information or authorized government agencies, including for the purpose of maintaining security and public order.

They must also file an annual report with NITDA with the number of registered users in Nigeria, the number of complaints received and content removed due to disinformation and misinformation.

A Reuters report said Nigeria earlier this year lifted a ban on Twitter's operations after the US-based company agreed to set up a local office among other agreements with authorities.