The Centre for Information
Technology and Development (CITAD) is rallying
the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria to engage on the proposed
Internet Code of Practice Development in the country, reports ITRealms.
CITAD Executive Director, Mr.
Y.Z. Yau confirmed this to ITRealms saying
that the theme of the contribution would centre on “The Internet Code We Want!”
He expected that the session will
provide effort to harvest the contribution of significant group of stakeholders
in the internet community.
The one-day event, he said, has
been scheduled for Thursday, June 8, this year at the Yar Adua Centre, Abuja.
Stressing
that given that the internet is critical development tools, he said, it is
important that CSOs develop an appropriate national code on how to access and
use it.
“The
NCC’s invitation to stakeholder is a in the traditional of best practice in
inclusive policy making,” he said.
Civil
society, as said by Yau, is critical stakeholders and would being making input
to the process.
“In
order to generate this input, the Centre for Information Technology and
Development (CITAD) has planned a Civil Society Consultative Forum on Internet
Code of Practice for Nigeria,” he said.
The
forum, he said, would bring different civil society organizations to deliberate
on the issue and come up with positions that could be submitted to the NCC
process.
ITRealms recalls
that in effort to develop set of Code of Practice for Internet for the country,
the Nigerian government, through the telecommunications regulator, the Nigerian
Communications Commission (NCC) says this is in support of
net neutrality and an open internet.
Among the
objectives of the proposed code are:
1. Protect the rights and interests of
internet service providers and consumers
2. Provide jointly agreed and effective solutions
to the issues of discriminatory traffic management practices
3. Ensure adequate safeguards are put in place by
service providers against abuses such as unsolicited messages;
4. Outline the obligations of Service Providers in
relation to offensive and potentially harmful content for minors and vulnerable
audiences
5. Promote the safe, secure and responsible use of
Internet Services with due regard to provisions in existing legal instruments;
6. Establish best practices for Internet
Governance in Nigeria, in line with emerging issues and global trends;
7. Provide transparent rules for the assessment
and classification of Internet content;
8. Increase stakeholder satisfaction through
improved consumer experience online;
9. Improve competition by addressing issues of
traffic management;
10. Improve operational efficiency.
Uboshe Uboshe/GEE
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