South Sudan claims removal of nearly 200 inflammatory contents from social media

JUBA – South Sudan’s National Communication Authority (NCA) announced on Tuesday that nearly 200 inflammatory and gruesome images and videos were removed from social media platforms, following efforts to curb the spread of harmful content during a critical period.

Napoleon Adok Gai, Director General of the NCA, addressed the media after being summoned by Parliament’s ICT and Postal Services Committee and the Security and Public Order Committee. He explained that the authority collaborated with technology companies, including Facebook, to identify and remove harmful content.

“Our effort was geared towards reducing the circulation of inflammatory and gruesome images that were dominating the Internet platform at that critical time of day. This decision, of course, had saved lives because some of those videos were taken off circulation,” he stated.

“We engaged with the technology owners, including Facebook. We communicated with them and provided some of the content we had identified, particularly videos and images, and most of them were removed,” Gai added.

He added that the NCA also worked with telecom companies hosting servers for platforms like TikTok and Facebook, receiving significant support to expedite the removal process. Approximately 200 items were taken down during this period.

Gai emphasized that the decision was driven by public safety concerns, as South Sudan lacks a content filtering mechanism.

“The reason we took that drastic measure is that the country does not have a content filtering mechanism,” he said. “If we had a content filtering mechanism, we could have highlighted those specific accounts that we see circulating content that is unacceptable to our culture.”

The NCA’s actions were grounded in its mandate under Section 9 of the National Communication Authority Act, which grants the authority powers to limit the use of technology that conflicts with South Sudan’s values and culture.

Gai noted that while social media encompasses various platforms, Facebook and TikTok are the most widely used in the country.

After achieving its objectives, the NCA lifted the ban on Facebook and TikTok on the 27^th. However, the authority continues to engage with Facebook and Meta to address accounts posting harmful content.

“We are also trying to work now to prevent any future shutdowns. When we can identify those accounts that are contravening the law, we won’t need to shut down any applications in the future. We will only go after those who are violating the law and inform law enforcement about these individuals, not the others,” Gai explained.

The decision to remove the content and temporarily ban the platforms sparked debate in Parliament. Hon. Oliver Mori Benjamin, Chairperson of the Information Committee, invited Gai to provide a detailed explanation of the NCA’s actions and their impact on the country.

Benjamin also addressed the broader context of the situation, referencing the killing of South Sudanese citizens in Wad Medani, Sudan, which heightened tensions within South Sudan.

“The killing of some of our citizens in Wad Medani, the Republic of Sudan, has caused Southerners all over South Sudan to feel threatened and to stand together in response. However, when people react as a mob, there are both advantages and disadvantages,” he said.

He condemned the exploitation of the situation by some individuals, including looting and attacks on innocent Northerners in South Sudan.

“These were negative effects,” Benjamin acknowledged, while urging calm and confidence in the government’s response.

“As long as our government has taken strong measures to respond to the situation in Sudan, you might have seen on TV how our Minister of Foreign Affairs addressed the UN Security Council regarding it. So let us give our government in South Sudan the chance to handle the issue. Let us remain as calm as we were before,” he said.

Benjamin concluded by reaffirming South Sudan’s commitment to maintaining positive relations with Sudanese nationals and other foreigners in the country.

“We continue our friendship with the Sudanese who are here and with foreigners who are here for the common good of our country, our region, and our continent.”