BloggingGhana and PenPlusBytes have called on the Inspector General of Police to reconsider his decision to ban social media on election day in November.
The organisations in statement issued on Tuesday said they share the IGP’s worry about the excesses of social media but a ban will be a breach of citizens’ freedom of expression, a basic tenet of democracy.
The statement said “BloggingGhana and PenPlusBytes believe social media provide Ghanaians with a platform to participate in the monitoring of the election process to enhance transparency and national debate. Instead of a ban, the Police administration must do what other thriving democracies have done and get on social media to inform and engage with citizens.”
The IGP a few weeks ago announced that he was considering banning social media on election day to maintain law and order.
The announcement has been met with a huge outrage with many asking the Police to focus on their core duties.
Below is the full statement
Joint statement by BloggingGhana and PenPlusBytes on the IGP’s proposed ban of Social Media during the November elections
We, BloggingGhana, a membership-based grassroots social media organization; and PenPlusBytes, a non-profit organization committed to enhancing governance by deepening citizen’s participation through ICT, are deeply concerned at the Inspector General of Police’s proposal to shut down social media platforms on election day.
We share in the IGP’s sentiments about the excesses and security concerns that might come with the use of social media. However, a ban on social media is not the solution and such a ban will be a breach of citizens’ freedom of expression, a basic tenet of democracy.
Article 21 (a) of Ghana’s 1992 constitution grants all citizens “freedom of speech and expression, which shall include freedom of the press and other media.” Elections in Ghana have largely been considered free and fair because of citizen and media participation. Ghana is a thriving democracy with a different context from Uganda, Niger and Turkey, who have opted for social media blackouts in the past. A ban on social media is not a democratic best practice.
BloggingGhana and PenPlusBytes believe social media provide Ghanaians with a platform to participate in the monitoring of the election process to enhance transparency and national debate. Instead of a ban, the Police administration must do what other thriving democracies have done and get on social media to inform and engage with citizens.
In Nigeria, the presence of the Nigerian Police, Armed Forces, Central Bank, Statistical Service, Independent National Electoral Commission and several ministries on social media has provided Nigerians, as well as other nationals and the media, with a vital tool to verify claims in real time. In 2012, Ghana’s Electoral Commission released the election results on Facebook before it was formally declared by the Electoral Commissioner.
While BloggingGhana and PenPlusBytes appreciate the IGP’s concerns about the abuse of social media, we believe the Ghana Police Service must be present on all the popular social media platforms to communicate, monitor, engage and counter any false information. Aside from promoting participatory democracy, Social media with the right strategy, has been demonstrated to be an important interface between the police and the public and a significant crime-fighting tool.
The major challenge for police extracting intelligence from social media is the sheer volume of information, but they have the power to act on information found through social media when they have the right skills, tools and processes in place. This will enhance their work of the Monitoring, Public Outreach, Investigations, Improved community relationships and Management of volatile situations. The platform also gives the Police an opportunity to provide the media and Ghanaians with credible information.
In fact, about 86 percent of law enforcement departments globally report utilizing social media in criminal investigations, according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).
For instance, the Ghana Police Service can routinely examine a suspect’s public social media activity for information that can be used in criminal investigations. This public information helps round out a subject’s profile and fill holes in the investigation.
Ghana Police Service establishing a social media presence can deliver significant benefits at low cost, especially for pushing information during periods of crisis/major events and provides a great opportunity to engage the public in investigations and build relationships with the community.
To help prevent the abuse of social media, the police have to establish a conspicuous and engaging presence on all the platforms to deter would be abusers. Also, the police has to release a statement informing the general public that they will be monitoring social media and that people are liable to prosecution for what they put out there.
Social media is now a permanent part of human existence. It is important that Ghanaian institutions realize this and adapt to the changing times instead of swimming against the current of progress.
For contacts:
Kinna Likimani (@kinnareads)
BloggingGhana
024 345 1003
Jeremiah Sam
PenPlusBytes
024 483 8097
By: Nana Ama Agyemang Asante/citifmonline.com/Ghana