Minister for Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has denied accusations that he ordered the halt of a social media show, “For The Records”, hosted by one Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah.
Sam George described the accusations as baseless and part of a larger attempt to discredit him.
“A certain Sam George seems to be more powerful than even he knows. Even when they constipate, they blame Sam George,” he wrote on Facebook on Tuesday, March 11.
“The pain of defeat has clouded even logical minds to believe that I lose sleep over someone’s attempt to be relevant.”
Some NPP faithful claim Sam George allegedly instructed the National Communications Authority (NCA) to halt the show on Facebook and YouTube, prompting concerns about media freedom and censorship.
However, Sam George maintained that he was focused on delivering a digitally inclusive and functional ecosystem for Ghanaians.
Can the government direct the halt of a live show on social media?
Yes, government regulators can take down ongoing live videos on Facebook or YouTube, but the process is more complex and typically requires:
- Real-time monitoring: Governments or their agencies must monitor the live video in real-time to identify potential violations.
- Emergency requests: Governments can submit emergency requests to Facebook or YouTube to take down the live video, citing violations of local laws or regulations or national security.
- Platform cooperation: Facebook or YouTube must cooperate with the government’s request and take down the live video.
Past incidents
– In 2020, Facebook took down a live video stream of a terrorist attack in New Zealand after receiving a request from the New Zealand government.
– In 2019, YouTube took down a live video stream of a protest in Hong Kong after receiving a request from the Hong Kong government.
Both Facebook and YouTube have community guidelines and terms of service that govern live video content. However, government regulators can still take action against live videos that violate local laws or regulations.
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