Social Media

Amicable Solution In Sight For Twitter Suspension – FG

Published

3 years ago

August 12, 2021

Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that issues surrounding the suspension of the operations of the micro-blogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria will be resolved soon.

The Federal Government had in June, suspended indefinitely, the operations of Twitter in Nigeria, citing persistent use of the platform for activities capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

Mohammed while fielding questions from State House correspondents on Wednesday after the virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja said, “I want to say that the end for an amicable solution is very much in sight; we quite appreciate the anxiety of Nigerians who have been worried that, two months after the suspension, we have not been able to finalise talks.

“But I just want to assure you that we have made tremendous progress and when I say tremendous, I mean tremendous.

“We have engaged Twitter both in writing; we have engaged Twitter; we set up a technical committee to engage Twitter; they set up their own committee too.

“They have met virtually and they have exchanged correspondence about three times; and really, apart from dotting the ‘I’s and crossing the ‘ts’ we are actually almost there, almost there.’’

He said that engagements with Twitter had been positive and devoid of any acrimony.

According to him, Twitter admitted that it had never received any kind of informed or detailed or professional communication from any country as they received in Nigeria.

The minister said that Twitter promised that it was going to look into the issues while Nigeria made very clear what it wanted from Twitter.

“Even though our report is not ready; even though we are expecting more clarifications around some conversations with Twitter; I think I can share with you that some of our conditions for Twitter operations to resume in Nigeria.

“And I’m glad that both the Minister of Works, who is a member of the Ministerial Team and Tolu, who is a member of the technical team are here.

“If I am wrong they will correct me; I know that one of clarification that we set is that Twitter must first, in line with the Companies and Allied Matters Act, establish legal presence in Nigeria, with the registration of Nigerian office with the Corporate Affairs Commission.

“We think this is only fair that if you want to do business in Nigeria, you must first register as a Nigerian company, and of course if you want to register, you must have an address. That is one of the conditions we gave Twitter; we also asked that Twitter shall be mandated to employ a designated country representative.

“As of today, we are not aware of any Twitter representative in Nigeria; we say that representative shall be a staff of Twitter, but must be one that has access to the global management of Twitter so that he can serve as a liaison between Nigeria and Twitter.’’

The minister said that the country representative should also have a physical office address in Nigeria with its head office in Abuja and could also have, offices outside the capital if he wanted.

He said that Twitter, in addition to registering in Nigeria, must also register with relevant regulatory authorities like National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

“Fourthly, we asked that Twitter would be mandated to retain a designated local agent to manage its engagement with the government on its operations in Nigeria.

“We also asked that Twitter should commit itself to work with the FIRS on its tax liability because we believe that if you make money in Nigeria, the law says that you must pay taxes according to Nigerian laws.

“Of course, we also asked that they should immediately also start paying VAT and other tax liabilities of any company resident in Nigeria.

“We propose to Twitter that we should agree on a Charter on Online Conduct for content management; this charter will guide both of us. We will agree on what content will be acceptable and which content will not be acceptable.’’

Mohammed said that the Ministerial Team was concerned about contents that would be liable to jeopardise Nigeria’s security, unity and sovereignty.

He said that the team also asked for an agreement on what amounted to prohibited publication and when such was cited and brought to the attention of Twitter, it would delete or remove such publication.

“We also proposed an ombudsman between both Twitter and Nigeria, and it is this ombudsman to whom we can report harmful accounts or suspected troll and then he will act accordingly.

“Finally, we asked that Twitter should immediately establish a local compliance and grievance redress mechanism to be domiciled in Nigeria and to be staffed by persons who understand local content and our culture,’’ he said.

According to him, Twitter has responded, but there are still areas that both parties have yet to agree on.

He said that he was hopeful that Twitter would comply with all the demands, adding that the platform was considering having an office in Nigeria by 2022.

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Social Media

Telegram to Expose Users Who Use Platform For Criminal Activities, Share Data With Relevant Authorities

Published

2 weeks ago

September 24, 2024

Ugwoke Ogbodo

With a view to joining efforts at waging war against cybercrime and other illicit activities on social media, a popular messaging app, Telegram has reviewed its users’ privacy and protection policy by announcing its readiness to make personal details of defaulting users available to relevant authorities for investigation.

The Telegram Chief Executive Officer, Pavel Durov, in a post sighted by Investors King, disclosed that the reversal of the company’s privacy policy was in response to alleged criminal activities and other illicit events happening on the popular social messaging platform.

Durov declared that once Telegram gets valid legal requests for the provision of the users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities, the management would not hesitate in obliging the court order.

He said the move is to attempt to control criminal activity on the platform and prevent abuse.

Recall that Telegram’s policy, before it was changed, limited user information sharing to cases involving terror suspects.

However, Telegram tinkered with the policy following the arrest of its CEO, Durov in France over allegations that the company pretended not to notice the alleged various crimes flourishing unchecked on the platform.

Investors King also gathered that policy reversal is not unconnected with the recent decision of the Ukrainian government to ban the use of Telegram by government officials, military personnel, and other defense and critical infrastructure workers because of national security concerns.

Meanwhile, after Durov was subsequently released on bail and ordered to stay in the country pending ongoing investigation, he made it clear that the IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate Telegram’s rules would now be made available to relevant authorities subject to valid legal requests.

The company further stated that if it receives a valid order from the relevant judicial authorities that confirms that any of its users is a suspect in a case involving criminal activities that violate the Telegram Terms of Service, it will perform a legal analysis of the request and may disclose affected user’s IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities.

It added that such data disclosures will be included in its periodic transparency reports, noting that the service may collect metadata such as IP address, devices and Telegram apps used, and the history of username changes to tackle spam, abuse, and other violations.

The platform has already featured the policy changes on its app as its search feature now removes problematic content and provides a new mechanism for users to report illegal search terms and material through the @SearchReport bot for subsequent review and removal by a human moderation team.

Social Media

Telegram Was Adding Nearly 500,000 Users Daily Before Durov’s Arrest

Published

1 month ago

September 3, 2024

Samed Olukoya

Ever since it launched in August 2013, Telegram has been an exceptionally popular social media platform and messaging app, thanks to its utility and focus on privacy.

Telegram’s strong growth continued well into 2024. Finbold’s research found that, between April 10 and July 22, the platform added more than 485,000 monthly active users (MoU) every day.

The growth ensured that, by the middle of the summer, Telegram’s user base stood at 950 million – meaning that approximately one-eighth of humanity was using the app.

While coming just 50 million shy of 1 billion users is a major milestone, it is interesting to note that the social media platform has, at times, boasted even stronger growth. For example, in July 2023, the CEO and founder, Pavel Durov, revealed that 2.5 million people signed up to Telegram daily.

EU’s shadow over Telegram

Despite Telegram’s popularity and momentum, the platform has been gaining a different kind of attention since August 24 when the French police arrested Durov at an airport near Paris.

Though President Emmanuel Macron and his government maintain that the arrest was not politically motivated, it has nonetheless sparked a strong backlash, with many interpreting it as a crackdown on privacy and free speech.

Indeed, even the allegations of poor moderation and failure to prevent illicit activity are founded, they, nonetheless, raise important questions in the debate on the balance between privacy, surveillance, and national security.

As Andreja Stojanovic, a co-author of the research, noted “Even if genuine and undisputable illicit activity on Telegram was detected, the arrest is still likely to make many question if, by the same logic, the entire police force of a nation should be prosecuted whenever any illegal activity takes place in a private home or a hotel room.”

Nonetheless, there are no guarantees the arrest will have a profound impact on Telegram itself and, indeed, the platform has already shown significant resilience to government pressure during the Russian 2018 ban.

Social Media

Russia Questions Legitimacy of France’s Arrest Warrant for Telegram’s Pavel Durov

Published

1 month ago

August 27, 2024

Samed Olukoya

Russia has issued a stern rebuke to France over the recent arrest warrant issued for Pavel Durov, the CEO and founder of the popular messaging app Telegram.

The Kremlin has raised significant concerns about the validity of the charges against Durov, suggesting that the move could be politically motivated.

On Saturday, the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office issued a warrant for Durov’s arrest, citing an ongoing investigation into organized crime, drug trafficking, fraud, and the distribution of pornographic images of minors on Telegram.

This development came as a shock to many, given Durov’s prominence as a leading technology entrepreneur and a vocal advocate for internet freedom.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded sharply to the French authorities’ actions during a press briefing on Tuesday.

Peskov demanded that Paris provide concrete evidence to substantiate the serious allegations against Durov.

He warned that without a robust basis for these accusations, the arrest could be perceived as a direct assault on free speech and a potential act of political intimidation.

“The charges against Durov are gravely serious and must be supported by equally serious evidence,” Peskov told journalists. “Otherwise, it could be viewed as an attempt to stifle communication and suppress freedom of expression.”

Durov, who is a Russian-born but holds French and UAE citizenship, has been a significant figure in the tech industry.

His company, Telegram, which he founded in 2013, is renowned for its commitment to privacy and has become a crucial platform for global communication, including in politically volatile regions.

The Russian government has emphasized its readiness to provide assistance to Durov, although it acknowledges the complexity of the situation.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates, where Durov also holds citizenship, has requested urgent diplomatic support from French officials and is closely monitoring the case.

Durov’s arrest comes at a time of heightened geopolitical tension between Russia and France. Relations have been strained by France’s strong stance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty.

This backdrop has fueled speculation that Durov’s detention might be more about political maneuvering than genuine legal concerns.

According to reports, Durov had traveled to Paris from Baku, Azerbaijan, where he was rumored to have had meetings, including speculative discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin—claims that Kremlin officials have since denied.

Telegram, which boasts over 800 million users globally, including many government and military officials on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, has denied any wrongdoing.

The company has consistently defended its platform’s neutrality and commitment to user privacy.

As the situation unfolds, Russia’s challenge to the legitimacy of France’s legal actions underscores the broader tensions between the two nations and raises questions about the intersection of politics and international legal processes.

The outcome of this case may have significant implications not only for Durov but also for the broader landscape of digital freedom and diplomatic relations.