Groups express concern over Meta's change in fact-checking policy, warn of dangers of misinformation in Nigeria.
Advocacy groups led by the National Online Safety Coalition's #FWDwithFacts campaign have raised alarm over Meta's recent decision to end partnerships with third-party fact-checkers.
The move, they say, could exacerbate the spread of misinformation and hate speech, especially in African countries like Nigeria.
Speaking on behalf of the National Cyber Security Coalition on Friday in Abuja, Ms. Shirley Ewang highlighted the serious implications of Meta's decision.
"We note that social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp, with tens of millions of Nigerian users, remain at the heart of the country's information ecosystem and can be weaponized without adequate fact-checking and content moderation," she said.
Mrs. Ewang emphasized that fact-checking should not be seen as censorship, but as an essential safeguard to protect society from harm. She urged Meta to immediately reinstate its fact-checking programs.
"The stakes are too high to allow misinformation to spread unchecked," she said.
MillieuMeta recently announced a shift from third-party fact-checking to a "Community Notes" system, which allows users to collaboratively add context to potentially misleading posts on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the change is intended to reduce excessive censorship. The previous use of independent fact-checkers led to the removal of harmless content and hindered free speech.
"Meta's Director of Global Affairs, Joel Kaplan, highlighted the success of Community Notes on a platform like X, formerly Twitter. "We've seen this approach work at X, where they let their community decide when posts are potentially misleading and need more context, and where people from a wide range of perspectives decide what kind of context is helpful to other users."
"We think this could be a better way to achieve our original goal, which is to provide people with information about what they're seeing, and a way that's less subject to bias," he said.
However, the policy change has sparked significant controversy, with critics expressing concerns that removing professional fact-checkers could allow the uncontrolled spread of harmful content.
The impact of disinformation in Nigeria- The coalition cited examples of past disinformation that has caused real-world harm, including the ethnic conflict in Plateau State in 2018 and the lies that sowed discord during Nigeria's 2023 elections.
- Ewang stressed that the lack of fact-checking initiatives could leave a dangerous vacuum, leading to the spread of lies, social divisions and potential loss of life.
- The coalition called on African governments to demand greater transparency from technology platforms regarding their disinformation strategies.
- It also called for laws to hold technology companies accountable for harmful content and for partnerships with civil society to promote media literacy. "African governments must act now to protect their citizens and preserve the integrity of democracy," he added.
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