Nigeria has blocked access to Twitter in the country after the social media site deleted a tweet from President Mohammad Buhari earlier this week.The Federal Ministry of Information and Culture of Nigeria said in a series of tweets on Friday that the government has suspended Twitter “indefinitely” because it “continues to use the platform for activities that can disrupt the survival of Nigerian businesses.”
According to Reuters, Twitter deleted a tweet from Buhari on Wednesday, saying it violated its “abuse” policy. This tweet mentions the civil war in the Biafran area of Nigeria in the late 1960s and targets separatists who are now accused of attacking government buildings. Buhari served in the army during the Civil War and was the military ruler of Nigeria in the 1980s.
According to Reuters, Buhari’s deleted tweet stated: “Those of us who have worked on the battlefield for 30 months and have experienced wars will treat separatists in a “language they understand”.
The New York Times reported on Saturday that many Nigerians used virtual private networks to access Twitter to circumvent this ban. Twitter is one of the main ways Nigerians criticize their government. On the other hand, the authorities have ordered arrests and prosecutions. Twitter users.
“We are deeply concerned about Nigeria’s blockade of Twitter. Access to a free and #open Internet is a basic human right in modern society,” Twitter said in a tweet on its public policy account on Saturday. “We will work hard to restore access to all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world.
Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites have been trying to figure out how to best handle controversial tweets from politicians. Fearing that former US President Donald Trump’s tweets will cause violence, Twitter has permanently banned his account. Facebook has suspended Trump’s account indefinitely this year, and said on Friday that Trump’s Facebook suspension will continue until at least 2023.
Before banning Trump, Twitter used warning labels to cover up some of his tweets and provided links to more information and background, allowing users to click to read the tweets according to their wishes. In one example, Twitter blocked a Trump tweet, saying it glorified violence. Trump issued this tweet while protesting the police killing of George Floyd. He said: “When the robbery begins, the shooting begins.” In his previous tweet, he said he would send nationals. The guard went to “get the job done”.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that social media companies discriminate against the right wing without providing evidence, and these companies have repeatedly denied this.
Last month, Florida approved a law that fines Twitter, Facebook, Google and other technology companies for kicking politicians off their websites.
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