AFRICA

Social Media Regulation Necessary To Tackle Fake News, Lai Mohammed Insists

Former Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, has reiterated his unpopular call for the regulation of social media, insisting that it will tackle anti-state groups, anarchists, and other harmful entities in the country.

The former administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, in which Mohammed served as its information minister, had unsuccessfully pushed for the regulation of social media and opposed media freedoms.

The administration suspended X (then Twitter) for seven months (June 2021 to January 2022), accusing the microblogging site of supporting the October 2020 #EndSARS protests.

Speaking at the iRepresent International Documentary Festival, which forms part of activities to mark the 90th birthday anniversary of Prof. Wole Soyinka, in Lagos at the weekend, Mohammed, who is also the Managing Partner of Bruit Cosaud, a policy advisory firm, emphasised the need for stricter oversight of social media platforms to prevent them from being exploited by those seeking to undermine the government and incite violence.

He argued that his call is not an attempt to stifle freedom of expression or censor dissenting voices, but a step geared towards ensuring that the social media platforms are held accountable.

The theme of the event was “Disinformation and Misinformation: The Media in the Age of Discontent”.

He said: “Let me state here that I support the calls for the regulation of social media. However, regulation of social media should not be misconstrued as an attempt to stifle freedom of expression or censor dissenting voices.

“Rather, it should be viewed as a necessary step to ensure that these platforms operate in a manner that is responsible, ethical, and conducive to the well-being of society.”

Mohammed further urged the current administration to take action against social media companies that allow misleading information to circulate unchecked.

According to Mohammed, the unchecked spread of fake news and hate speech on social media has become a serious threat to national security, with anti-state groups using these platforms to spread propaganda and incite public unrest.

He warned that this trend could have dire consequences for the stability of the country and called for decisive action to address the issue.

He noted that social media remains a major space for the proliferation of fake news, adding that the consequences of disinformation and misinformation are far-reaching in the sense of undermining democratic processes, among others.

“Social media remains the platform of choice for the purveyors of fake news, anti-state groups, anarchists, secessionists, terrorists, and bandits. It’s either on Facebook, Instagram, X, etc. With a smartphone and data, people can broadcast whatever they want with ease.

“Similarly, through technology and inventions, the challenge has even become exponential through the use of Artificial Intelligence and deep learning techniques to create highly realistic fake or manipulated videos, audio recordings, or images.

“These creations often involve superimposing existing images or videos onto other contents, making it appear as though individuals are saying or doing things they never did. This is era of deepfake!

“There is no doubt that the proliferation of digital media platforms has transformed the landscape of information dissemination the world over. While these platforms have democratised access to information, they have also provided fertile ground for the spread of falsehoods and manipulation,” he explained.

Segun James