Digital policy and Nigeria’s Platform Code of Practice: towards a radical co-regulatory turn
This study examines Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms as one of Africa’s first push towards digital and social media co-regulation. Already established as a regulatory practice in Europe, co-regulation emphasises...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Data & Policy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S263232492500001X/type/journal_article |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832544313069797376 |
|---|---|
| author | Vincent Obia |
| author_facet | Vincent Obia |
| author_sort | Vincent Obia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study examines Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms as one of Africa’s first push towards digital and social media co-regulation. Already established as a regulatory practice in Europe, co-regulation emphasises the need to impose duties of care on platforms and hold them, instead of users, accountable for safe online experiences. It is markedly different from the prior (and existing) regulatory paradigm in Nigeria, which is based on direct user regulation. By analysing the Code of Practice, therefore, this study considers what Nigeria’s radical turn towards co-regulation means for digital policy and social media regulation in relation to standards, information-gathering, and enforcement. It further sheds light on what co-regulation entails for digital regulatory practice in the wider African context, particularly in terms of the balance of power realities between Global North platforms and Global South countries. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-02bb8fecea0742a586cb2458c2482ba8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2632-3249 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Data & Policy |
| spelling | doaj-art-02bb8fecea0742a586cb2458c2482ba82025-02-03T10:35:13ZengCambridge University PressData & Policy2632-32492025-01-01710.1017/dap.2025.1Digital policy and Nigeria’s Platform Code of Practice: towards a radical co-regulatory turnVincent Obia0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1650-9103School of Journalism, Media and Communication, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UKThis study examines Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms as one of Africa’s first push towards digital and social media co-regulation. Already established as a regulatory practice in Europe, co-regulation emphasises the need to impose duties of care on platforms and hold them, instead of users, accountable for safe online experiences. It is markedly different from the prior (and existing) regulatory paradigm in Nigeria, which is based on direct user regulation. By analysing the Code of Practice, therefore, this study considers what Nigeria’s radical turn towards co-regulation means for digital policy and social media regulation in relation to standards, information-gathering, and enforcement. It further sheds light on what co-regulation entails for digital regulatory practice in the wider African context, particularly in terms of the balance of power realities between Global North platforms and Global South countries.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S263232492500001X/type/journal_articleco-regulationdigital policyplatform regulationNigeriaNITDA Code of Practice |
| spellingShingle | Vincent Obia Digital policy and Nigeria’s Platform Code of Practice: towards a radical co-regulatory turn Data & Policy co-regulation digital policy platform regulation Nigeria NITDA Code of Practice |
| title | Digital policy and Nigeria’s Platform Code of Practice: towards a radical co-regulatory turn |
| title_full | Digital policy and Nigeria’s Platform Code of Practice: towards a radical co-regulatory turn |
| title_fullStr | Digital policy and Nigeria’s Platform Code of Practice: towards a radical co-regulatory turn |
| title_full_unstemmed | Digital policy and Nigeria’s Platform Code of Practice: towards a radical co-regulatory turn |
| title_short | Digital policy and Nigeria’s Platform Code of Practice: towards a radical co-regulatory turn |
| title_sort | digital policy and nigeria s platform code of practice towards a radical co regulatory turn |
| topic | co-regulation digital policy platform regulation Nigeria NITDA Code of Practice |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S263232492500001X/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT vincentobia digitalpolicyandnigeriasplatformcodeofpracticetowardsaradicalcoregulatoryturn |