Social media platforms, X owned by Elon Musk, and Meta, owners of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads have failed to comply with Nigeria’s Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms and Internet Intermediaries.
The two companies did not submit their content moderation report for the year 2024 as mandated by the Code.
While Meta, complied with other aspects of the Code such as getting incorporated in the country, having a physical presence, and filing tax, X did not comply with any.
According to the 2024 Compliance report released by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), other platforms such as LinkedIn, Google, and TikTok achieved a fair compliance.
Concerns and possible sanction
NITDA in the report expressed concern that the platforms have yet to demonstrate the level of accountability and proactive engagement required to meet the spirit and letter of the Code.
“Of particular concern is Meta’s failure to submit its content moderation report using the template prescribed by NITDA, which undermines comparability and limits the ability to assess compliance uniformly.
“Most concerning is the complete lack of compliance by X (formerly Twitter), which has failed to adhere to submission of 2024 compliance report, and other requirements of the Code, which include failure to incorporate in Nigeria, have a physical contact address, and designate a local compliance officer,” it stated.
- While the report did not mention sanction despite the obvious infractions, NITDA confirmed to Nairametrics that non-compliance with the Code is a violation of the NITDA Act and attracts sanction.
- The Agency said it is still weighing the options to arrive at appropriate sanction as it is not defined in the Code.
Meanwhile, the 2024 compliance reports submitted by Google, Microsoft, and TikTok in line with the, the three platforms shut down and deactivated over 13.5 million accounts in 2024.
The report also revealed that the platforms recorded 58.9 million content takedowns in the year, while 420,439 removed and re-uploaded content following appeal by users.
What you should know
The Code of Practice, first announced in June 2022, was jointly issued by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), and NITDA. It provides guidelines for managing harmful content, promoting online safety, and ensuring digital accountability in Nigeria.
- The Code requires platforms to act against content such as deepfakes, revenge porn, and child abuse material, and to disclose user identities in specific legal cases.
- According to the immediate past Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, the Internet Code of Practice was developed to prevent big tech companies from becoming dictators and bigger than the government.
