The second reading of the anti-social media bill which was widely condemned by Nigerians when it was presented to the Senate a fortnight ago witnessed an accelerated hearing during consideration at plenary today.
The bill tagged: “A bill for an Act to make provisions for the Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulations and for related matters, 2019,” was sponsored by Senator Musa, Mohammed Sani (Niger East).
The Senate which considered and passed the bill for second reading referred the bill to its committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters for further legislative action.
It charged the committee to report back to plenary in four weeks.
The committee is expected to conduct a public hearing on the bill before it is reported to the Senate in four weeks.
Leading the debate at plenary for consideration, Senator Musa, who sponsored the bill argued that bill was not an attempt to stifle free speech but to arrest the growing threats of reckless posts that pose a public danger and in some cases harm individuals.
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He said: “This bill is not an attempt to stifle free speech. It is rather an opportunity to address the growing threats which left unchecked, can cause serious damage in our polity and disrupt peaceful existence.
“While the internet has made information possible, the fact remains that it has also been a weapon in the process which is why governments across the world are trying to mitigate the risks associated with information transmission via the internet by monitoring abuse and deliberate misconducts.
“One of the disadvantages of the internet is the spread of falsehood and manipulation of unsuspecting users.
“Today, motivated by geopolitical interest and identity politics, state and non- state actors use the internet to discredit the government, misinform people and turn one group against the other.
“The hoax about the demise of President Muhammadu Buhari in London and his purported replacement by one Jibril of Sudan, among others, are things that threaten the peace, security and harmony of our people.
“Inauthentic online accounts run by human trolls have been used to rapidly spread falsehood.
“For media outlets, publishing a story with false contents that attract users, benefits advertisers.”
“Penalty for defaulters goes up to N300,000 for individuals and up to N10 million for corporate organisations and imprisonment of up to 3 years or both.
“It also issues guidelines for internet intermediaries and providers of mass media services and sanctions for offenders.”
Senator Ishaku Abbo (Adamawa South) in his contribution to the debate said the menace had better been controlled before it consumes the country.
Abbo was the senator-elect whose alleged assault of a nursing mother in an adult store in Abuja went viral on social media.
Another Senator, representing Benue South who spoke in favour of the bill said the Senate must rise and muster the courage: “To regulate one aspect of our lives that is negative and would have very serious and dangerous consequences on the lives of members of the society. Fake news is dangerous, the spread of false news is even more dangerous.
‘Therefore Mr President we just rise to the challenge of picking up the courage and the political will to be able to deal with this at it’s infancy before it develops into a cankerworm.
The lone voice against the bill, Senator, Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu East) said passage of the Bill will undermine the principles of free speech. He said the existing Cyber Crime Act has addressed the issues raised in the Bill.
“I not only opose this bill, I condemn it in its entirety. Based on our constituion, there is freedom of information and freedom of speech.
“There is a Cyber Crime Act that deals with this issue. There are also laws that deal with false informtion, libel, slander and so on.
“Yes, fake news has done a lot in America and other countries, but they have not brought any law to deal with it. I, therefore, oppose this bill,” he submitted.