Yahoo Lifestyle Nigeria lifts Twitter ban but demands it’s used for ‘business and positive engagements’
It was originally banned following tweets criticizing the country's president.
Nigeria is set to lift a ban on Twitter under the condition that it's used in the country for "business and positive engagements," according to Bloomberg. The social media network was originally banned in June after it removed a tweet from President Muhammadu Buhari under a violation of its abuse policy.
The Nigerian government said it was close to an agreement with Twitter on resuming operations. "As a country, we are committed to ensuring that digital companies use their platform to enhance the lives of our citizens, respect Nigeria’s sovereignty, cultural values and promote online safety,” said Buhari in a speech sent to Bloomberg.
Twitter was banned in the country following a tweet by Buhari that threatened to punish secessionists that allegedly attacked government buildings. At the time, the social media company said in a tweet that it was "deeply concerned" by Nigeria's actions and that it considered the open internet an "essential human right."
Facebook, Twitter, Apple and other tech giants often walk a fine line between promoting espousing internet freedom and bending to local laws. Apple, for example, was recently accused of giving the Chinese government control over local data, while railing against similar actions in the United States and elsewhere.
