The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has unveiled plans to introduce an Internet Industry Code of Practice in furtherance of its sustained efforts to combat the menace and make Nigeria’s internet space safer for users.
The commission projected that the implementation of the policy would curb the increasing spate of cybercrimes and would also protect the rights of the child, individual privacy in the cyber space amongst other potential benefits.
The Executive Vice-Chairman (EVC) of the telecom industry regulatory commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, gave these hinted on Thursday during the NCC 103rd edition of the Consumer Outreach Programme (COP) held in Calabar, Cross River State.
Danbatta, who was represented at the forum by the Deputy Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, Alhaji Ismail Adedigba, said that the initiative was sequel to the increasing usage of internet solutions and services by telecom services subscribers nationwide and the need to protect their interests at all times.
He said: “Realising that liberalisation of the telecoms industry has led to an unprecedented increase in the usage and dependence on internet-based solutions and services, the Nigerian Communication Commission has initiated a process to establish an Internet Industry Code of Practice for Internet Service providers in the country.
“The Internet Code is a regulatory intervention that will not only help to secure the country’s cyberspace against imminent threats from cyber attackers but also address such issues as online protection, privacy and data protection, objectionable content, among others”, the industry regulator added.
The EVC pointed out given the commitment of the commission to to protect, secure, and sanitise the nation’s cyberspace, internet subscribers should contribute their quota to the attainment of the commission’s set goals.
Danbatta explained further that the theme of the consumer outreach programme ‘Mitigating Effects of Cybercrimes: The Roles of Telecom Consumers’ was carefully chosen to educate and enlighten consumers of telecommunications services on the increasing tide of cybercrime in its various forms, and the dangers posed by cybercrime and the roles individual consumers are expected to play in curbing the activities of cyber criminals.
In his lead paper on the roles of consumers in mitigating the effects of cybercrime, the commission’s Head, Consumer Protection/Advocacy, Consumer Affairs Bureau, Ayanbanji Ojo, advised consumers to seek useful information on aspects that had to do with cybercrime with a view to enabling them contribute to the fight against the menace.
Ojo harped on the imperative of telecommunications service users to be proactive in their responses to cybercrime by reporting suspected cyber criminals and their activities to the police, and other security agencies.
He advised telecom service subscribers to always protect their devices from loss as lost devices can become tools in the hands of cyber criminals who often steal them.
On what should be done on the loss of any device, the consumer affairs expert pointed out that because such thefts were inevitable, consumers should always report loss of device to service providers, the NCC or the police so that the lost device can be deactivated.
