A Bill prescribing a three-year jail term or N10million fine for social media offenders yesterday scaled second reading in the Senate.
It is entitled: “A Bill for an Act to make provisions for the protection from internet falsehood and manipulations and related matters, 2019.”
Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, representing Niger East, sponsored it.
In his lead debate, he said it has become imperative to curb the excesses of those using social media to cause disaffection and character assassination through fake news.
According to him, the Bill is not an attempt to stifle free speech but an opportunity to address the growing threats, which, if unchecked, can cause social unrest.
He said other countries are also trying to mitigate the risks associated with information transmission via the internet by monitoring abuses.
Musa said: “Motivated by geopolitical interests 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.”
According to the Niger East Senator, the Bill has 36 clauses and provides for the prevention of hawkers of falsehoods and manipulated contents using the internet.
He said that the penalty for defaulters goes up to N300,000 for individuals and up to N10million for corporate organisations and imprisonment of up to three years or both.
The Bill, he said, also contains guidelines for internet intermediaries and providers of mass media services as well as sanctions for offenders.
Senators Ibrahim Gobir, Ishaku Clifford Elisha Abbo, Abba Moro and Bala Ibn Na’Allah supported the Bill.
However, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu East), “strongly” opposed the Bill.
Nnamani said: “I not only oppose this bill, but I also condemn it in its entirety. Based on our Constitution, there is Freedom of Information and Freedom of Speech. There is a Cyber Crimes Act that deals with this issue. Some laws deal with false information, 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 strongly oppose this bill.”
Nnamani while quoting a German Pastor, Martin Niemöller, added: “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
“Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.”
When the Bill was put to a voice vote by Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Senators approved it for second reading.
Lawan referred the Bill to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for further legislative work.
Also yesterday, a House of Representatives member James Faleke, faulted a bill in the Senate which proposes the death penalty for hate speech.
The Hate Speech Bill, sponsored by the Deputy Chief Whip Senator Sabi Abdullahi, passed first reading last week.
Faleke, who chairs the House Committee on Finance and represents Ikeja Federal Constituency of Lagos, said in spite of the need to stop hate speech, proposing the death penalty was going too far.
The lawmaker, however, backed the death sentence of terrorism and kidnapping.
He said: “It is the area of punishment that we should be concern about. For me, I think we need to have a law on hate speech because it can cause war, crisis and disharmony in the country.”
“Your right to free speech must be made within the ambit of the law to bring harmony and good relationship among the people.
“But I will not support a death penalty for hate speech; for kidnapping and terrorism, I support the death sentence as it has been passed by some state assemblies.” (The Nation)
