Saturday morning, Twitter said that the internet, in the modern world, is an essential human right, following the Nigerian government’s decision to block access to Twitter after a disagreement with the country’s president – despite the fact that critics claim the company bans its users and suppresses conservative content.
President Muhammadu Buhari deleted an angry tweet that many saw as a stark warning against fierce separatists in the country’s southeast – and then his government’s communication ministry retaliated by banning Twitter from the country.
The Information and Culture Ministry of Nigeria tweeted on Friday night that it has halted the activities of Twitter in Nigeria for an indefinite period.
Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, recently said that the government will begin licensing social media sites and “OTT” or over-the-top, businesses that provide information directly to viewers over the internet.
Twitter responded that it is very worried about Twitter’s ban in Nigeria because in contemporary culture, access to a free and #OpenInternet is a fundamental human right. It said that it will endeavor to re-establish its access for Nigerians who want to use Twitter to connect and communicate with the rest of the world.
The remark elicited quick replies from Twitter users, who observed that the social media giant’s own protocols allow for the suspension and banning of users, including former President Donald Trump.
A conservative responded to twitter’s remark saying that Access to a free and open internet is a fundamental human right in contemporary society… unless your name is Donald Trump.
Another user shared a caricature depicting a comic book hero agonizing about which button to press – “Access to Twitter is a human right,” or “Ban these accounts for speaking stuff I don’t agree with.”
Several other users expressed similar opinions.
Additionally, Republican legislators have accused the business of “shadow-banning” conservatives or employing an algorithm to reduce the appearance of their posts.
Furthermore, Twitter suspended the New York Post’s account in response to an article regarding Hunter Biden just days before the 2020 presidential election but reversed its decision once the article was verified.
