Nigerian Government deleted over 13 million social media accounts in 2024
The 2024 Nigeria compliance report for digital safety has revealed that over 13 million social media accounts were deleted across various platforms in 2024. The report is part of the federal government’s effort to manage and protect Nigerians from harmful content on social media.
A statement released by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) via its X handle explained that the report is a product of social media platforms’ compliance with the Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/Internet Intermediaries. The agency commended Google, Microsoft, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) for implementing the measures.
“The compliance reports provide valuable insights into the platforms’ efforts to address user safety concerns in line with the Code of Practice and the platforms’ community guidelines,” part of the statement reads.
According to the report, 754,629 complaints were filed by Nigerians across social media platforms. During this period, 58,909,122 pieces of content were removed due to negative and abusive content. Following appeals by users and reviews, 420,439 of the previously removed contents were re-uploaded.
The 2024 compliance report also revealed that 13,597,057 accounts were shut down and deactivated across various social media platforms.
Issued in 2022, the Code of Practice represents the collaborative effort of three Nigerian agencies aimed at promoting online safety and managing harmful content. These are the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), and NITDA.
According to NITDA, the enforcement is a testament to the social media platforms’ contribution towards a safe and responsible online environment for Nigerian users.
“This achievement reflects the provisions of the Code of Practice, which mandates that large service platforms are registered in Nigeria and comply with relevant laws, including the fulfilment of their tax obligation, while reinforcing the commitment to online safety for Nigerians,” NITDA added.
Additionally, the agency emphasised the importance of collaboration and engagement among various stakeholders in creating a safer digital environment. It noted that keeping to online safety measures by Nigerian users will promote trust and transparency in the Nigerian digital space.
The Nigerian regulation of social media content
In June 2022, NITDA published a draft regulatory document of the Code of Practice to regulate content interaction between social media users and platform providers. It also aims to prevent users from promoting porn, child sexual abuse, cyberbullying, and spreading misinformation.
The Code highlights specific responsibilities which social media platform providers are expected to follow. This, according to the policy, relates to all information and content presented on these platforms and the duty to abide by Nigerian laws.
Some of the responsibilities of platform providers, as outlined in the code of practice, are:
- Removal of unlawful content within 24 hours of receiving a complaint on their platform by a user or an authorised government agency.
- Provision of a dedicated channel for the submission of requests or complaints against unlawful or harmful content by authorised government agencies and users.
- Filing of annual compliance report with NITDA. This covers data such as the number of registered users, the number of active registered users, the number of closed and deactivated accounts, and the number of removed content.
- Non-compliance with the provisions of the Code shall be construed as a breach of the provisions of the NITDA Act of 2007.
NITDA Logo
In the 2023 compliance report, a total of 65,853,581 pieces of content were taken down across Google, X (formerly Twitter), Microsoft, and TikTok following complaints by users. It also saw 4,125,283 complaints lodged by Nigerian users regarding harmful content.
This led to the deactivation of about 12 million accounts, including the removal of negative content.
In addition, 379,433 pieces of content were re-uploaded following successful user appeals.
By Technext
about 5 hours ago