The Federal Government has partnered with Google, to prevent the use of private and unlisted YouTube channels and live streams by proscribed groups, especially terrorist organizations.
They reached this decision when a Google team visited Information and Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed in Abuja yesterday.
Mohammed, in his welcome address, requested from the Google officials that channels and emails containing names of proscribed groups and their affiliates should be disallowed on Google platforms.
His words: ”We want Google to look into how to tackle the use of private and unlisted YouTube channels and YouTube live streams by proscribed groups and terrorist organizations. Channels and emails containing names of proscribed groups and their affiliates should not be allowed on Google platforms.
“Your platform is a platform of choice for IPOB, a proscribed terrorist group.
“We implore you not to make your platform available to them for their acts of violence and destabilization.
“We hope you will cooperate with us as well as our security agencies in this direction.”
Google Regional Director, Government Affairs and Public Policy in Sub-Saharan Africa, Charles Murito, said his organization has a desk for flagging fake news, misinformation, and other unwholesome content on YouTube.
He, therefore, asked the minister to provide the contacts of those who can liaise with Google in flagging unwholesome content.
