NCC speaks on social media content, regulation

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it is not responsible for social media content, noting that there are other government agencies responsible for that.

The NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Garba Danbatta, said while receiving a delegation of Food Basket Foundation International (FBFI), led by its Chief Executive Officer, Funmi Akinyele, during a courtesy visit to commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Abuja.

Danbatta, who was represented by the NCC Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, stressed that the commission was committed to strengthening its regulation of the telecommunication sector, particularly providing the solid infrastructure and general industry regulations.

Muoka said NCC has engaged in several aspects of protection of internet users, such as initiatives towards Child Online Protection, COP, deployment of the Computer Security Incident Response Team, NCC-CSIRT, set up to monitor cyber-attacks in the Nigerian cyberspace, in addition to the activities of the commission’s department of New Media and Information Security set up to address issues on cybersecurity.

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“We have tried not to be a closed organisation. We give lots of premiums to consultations and collaborations, especially in the areas that will ensure that the consumers and stakeholders understand what is going on and to make input that enriches the quality of regulations, as well as being able to access information they may require to safeguard themselves and the society,” he noted.

The NCC spokesman further stated that the commission would continue to consult stakeholders on issues affecting telecommunication services deployments and developments, in line with its culture of inclusiveness, collaboration, and partnership as predicated in its strategic focus.

Muoka also urged the group to join NCC in carrying out enlightenment campaigns to educate telecom consumers on their roles and responsibilities in order to use the Internet and telecommunication platform safely to counter misuse and abuse.

While commending the NCC’s regulatory excellence, Akinyele expressed concerns about the state of the social media with uncontrolled content.

She said the visit to the regulator was to explore areas of collaboration in its programme to protect the digital civic space by combating misinformation and disinformation while mitigating risks to the digital civic space to ensure electoral integrity before, during, and after the 2023 general election.

This initiative, she explained, comes under one of FBFI’s projects, dubbed, Safeguarding Digital Civic Space for Electoral Integrity (SDSEI).

The Star