In a recent interview, Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, revealed that Nigeria, along with India and Turkey, threatened to shut down the social media platform unless it complied with orders to restrict certain accounts.
Dorsey mentioned that the situation in Nigeria was particularly concerning, as the government’s actions made it unsafe for Twitter employees to operate in the country.
Nigeria had previously suspended Twitter in 2021 after a post by then-President Muhammadu Buhari was removed.
The ban was lifted in 2022 following agreements with Twitter, including the establishment of a local office. Advocacy groups have raised human rights concerns in all three countries.
Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s claims that the Nigerian, Indian & Turkish government pressured Twitter to block accounts covering some news have been rejected by India’s Union minister Rajeev Chandrashekar.
India called Dorsey’s allegations an “outright lie” and stated that Twitter repeatedly violated Indian law before finally complying in June 2022.
India emphasized that no one was raided or sent to jail and clarified that the Indian government focused on ensuring compliance with its laws.
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He also highlighted Twitter’s selective handling of misinformation, alleging partisan behavior. India’s response comes after Dorsey’s remarks in a YouTube show, where he alleged threats of shutdowns and raids.
Indian entrepreneur & Counselage founder Suhel Seth has strongly criticized Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, labeling his statements as “utter lies” and “blasphemous.”
Seth emphasized that Twitter is just a company and must abide by the laws of the countries it operates in, whether in India, Nigeria, Turkey or any other country.
He dismissed Dorsey’s claims of pressure from the Indian government and stated that Twitter had available legal options, which they pursued and were instructed to comply with Indian laws by the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court.
Seth characterized Dorsey’s remarks as “cerebral blackmail” and called for their dismissal with contempt.
However there is no official report of the responses from the Nigerian government till the time of this news publishing.
