Mixed reactions trailed the Social Media bill and the National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speech bill at the ongoing Social Media Week (SMW) in Lagos on Thursday.
SEE ALSO: Nancy Pelosi Rips Up Copy Of Trump’s State Of The Union Speech
Chioma Agwuegbo, Founder, TechHerNG, noted that in a world, where everybody was connected, everybody was at risk.
Agwuegbo said while social media had helped to improve political participation and citizens’ engagement with public servants in Nigeria, there were, however, some dangers posed by the misuse or abuse of it.
She noted that some of the dangers of social media platforms were the spread of fake news and inciting comments or hate speech, which could heat up the polity.
Mrs Iyabo Awokoya, Managing Director, Sages Consult, said that there was the need for protection against Internet falsehood.
Awokoya said that the Social Media bill cautioned against imbibing negative values.
She said that the bill would not send one to prison but provided opportunity for remediation.
According to her, it is only when one fails to remediate by correction that such a person could be taken to court.
Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative, on the other hand, said that there were already existing laws that took care of such things.
Sesan said: “We trust the words but do not trust the interpretation. What the government should do is to create standard and not control.’’
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the week- long Social Media Week which started on Feb. 24, to end on Feb. 28, is tagged `#Unboxing’.
The SMW is one of the world’s foremost conferences and industry news platforms for marketers.
It provides brands, agencies and technology providers with the latest insights, trends and best practices, together with access to a global community of marketing decision makers.
Leave a Reply