The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, has asked Google to block terrorist organizations from YouTube.
The Minister made this request on Thursday when August 4 when a team from Google visited him in Abuja and listed Biafra Digest TV, Umu Biafra TV, Biafra Digest, and Asa Biafra TV as examples of channels that spread subversive information/ contents.
Mohammadu states that some of the channels use local languages during their broadcast to evade being censored.
”We want Google to look into how to tackle the use of private and unlisted YouTube channels and YouTube live streams by proscribed groups and terrorist organizations. Channels and emails containing names of proscribed groups and their affiliates should not be allowed on Google platforms.
“Your platform is a platform of choice for IPOB, a proscribed terrorist group.
“We implore you not to make your platform available to them for their acts of violence and destabilization.
“We hope you will cooperate with us as well as our security agencies in this direction,” he said.
Lai Mohammed also said the government recently proposed a “Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/ Internet Intermediaries”.
According to him, the provides a framework for collaboratively protecting Nigerian users of Internet platforms.
“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 responsible use of the Internet and to protect our people from the harmful effects of social media,” he added.
In his remarks, Google Regional Dir., Sub-Saharan Africa, Govt. Affairs and Public Policy, Mr. Charles Murito, said the platform has introduced a prog. called “Trusted Flaggers” for citizens trained to track and engage with online content 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 added.
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