Social Media: FG Releases Requirements For Twitter, Facebook, Others Operation In Nigeria

The federal government has released the code of practice for social media platforms, stating that they must have a country representative.

This was made known by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) which disclosed that interactive computer service platforms and Internet intermediaries are required to fulfil certain conditions in running their services in Nigeria.

The conditions are contained in the recently released Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/Internet Intermediaries (online platforms), according to a statement by NITDA on Monday.

"NITDA wishes to present to the public a Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/Internet Intermediaries for future review and input", part of the statement reads.

The Code of Practice was put in place by the NITDA in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NCC), with input from platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Google, and Tik Tok.

One of the conditions stated in the Code of Practice is that each platform should have a country representative who will interact with the Nigerian authorities.

The implication of the above is that Twitter, Facebook, TikTik, and others are required to have country representatives.

Other conditions listed are registering with the Corporate Affairs Commission as a legal entity, complying with tax obligations, and abiding by regulatory and legal demands.