NITDA releases Whitepaper on new bill to protect Nigerians against online harms  

This landmark document seeks to address the growing challenge of online harms while fostering a secure digital ecosystem in the country.

According to NITDA, the Whitepaper emerges from the outcomes of Nigeria’s first-ever Content Moderation and Online Safety Summit held in July 2022, hosted by API, an African non-profit dedicated to advancing digital innovation and inclusive policymaking.

It serves as a foundational step toward creating a comprehensive legal framework to protect Nigerians in the digital space.

The document highlights the prevalence of online harms, including threats to children and vulnerable groups, and analyzes global regulatory efforts while proposing strategies suited to Nigeria’s unique context.

“Despite existing regulations, the complexities of the digital environment require a more comprehensive and collaborative approach to online safety for Nigerians,” it stated.

According to NITDA, the Whitepaper aims to:

“This white paper underscores the importance of regulatory measures broadly, and for children and minorities especially, and calls for a collaborative and data-driven approach to crafting a framework to ensure a safer digital environment for all,” the Agency stated.

NITDA emphasized that the document is not a definitive regulatory guide but a research-driven tool to guide discussions and refine policy directions.

The agency invites stakeholders, including businesses, civil society groups, local and international internet platforms, and the public, to review the Whitepaper and provide feedback.

It added that a dedicated secretariat will collate responses, which will be presented to stakeholder groups for further discussion before drafting the final bill.

The Agency reiterated its commitment to improving Nigeria’s digital economy and creating a safe online environment for all users.

To address the challenge of online harms, Nigeria had in the past come up with several laws and rules such as the Internet Code of Practice by the Nigerian Communications Commission 2017; Nigeria Broadcasting Code 2020, and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) issued Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/ Internet Intermediaries, 2022.

Legislative and regulatory proposals such as the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill 2019, the “Social Media Bill,” and the NBC Amendment Bill 2023 also aim to shield citizens from these online dangers.

However, all of these regulatory efforts have encountered criticism mostly around perceived inadequacies, the constriction of the civic space, and constraints on human rights.