Meta Platforms Inc. and X Corp have flouted Nigeria’s Internet Code of Practice by failing to submit the mandated 2024 content moderation reports.
According to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) compliance report, while Google, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Microsoft achieved fair compliance, Meta ignored the prescribed template for submission, undermining uniform assessment. X, however, failed to comply with any provision of the Code.
NITDA confirmed through its compliance report that Meta, despite being incorporated, maintaining a Nigerian presence, and paying tax, still withheld key documentation.
“Of particular concern is Meta’s failure to submit its content moderation report using the template prescribed by NITDA,” the agency noted.
X’s infractions were described as most severe. The platform failed to incorporate locally, provide a physical office, designate a compliance officer, or file its 2024 moderation report. This marks complete non-compliance with the Code.
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Although no penalties have yet been imposed, NITDA stressed that failure to comply with the Code violates the NITDA Act and is sanctionable. The agency said it is “weighing appropriate sanctions” as the Code itself does not define penalties.
Meanwhile, compliance reports from Google, Microsoft, and TikTok showed enforcement measures in 2024, including shutting down over 13.5 million accounts and recording 58.9 million content takedowns. Additionally, 420,439 appeals led to reinstated content.
The Internet Code of Practice, issued in June 2022 by NITDA, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), mandates accountability on harmful content including child abuse material, deepfakes, and revenge porn. It also requires disclosure of user identities in legal cases.
Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, described the Code as necessary “to prevent big tech companies from becoming dictators and bigger than the government.”
