NCC’s directive to cybercafés will worsen operators’ problems – Expert

Sesa, who said this in an exclusive chat with DigitalSENSE Business News during an internet intermediary liability workshop organised by PIN in Lagos, stressed that many cyber café operators are already under burden even as many of them have closed shops simply because they cannot afford the cost of power and the cost of internet […]

Sesa, who said this in an exclusive chat with DigitalSENSE Business News during an internet intermediary liability workshop organised by PIN in Lagos, stressed that many cyber café operators are already under burden even as many of them have closed shops simply because they cannot afford the cost of power and the cost of internet access.
He explained that it is contradictory that a government that is seeking more access is creating more bottlenecks in the part way of those who are providing public access in the first place.
“There are not so many cybercafés in the first place so why focus on them for that, simply because of cybercrime. They are getting it wrong, that’s the NCC, because cybercrimes can be committed from a phone right now. It is not cybercafés and if you say phones are registered it could be committed from the laptop.
“I don’t think they thought this through properly in sense of registration of individuals who come to use a public terminal. The second point there is the fact apart from economic cost there is also the dearth to access. There is an internet freedom report that is done annually for every country and so one of the things mentioned is obstacle to access, and so what NCC has simply done is to place a major obstacle in the part way of access in Nigeria”, he said.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)had  issued a public notice signed by Director of Public Affairs, Tony Ojobo ordering cyber cafes  licensees and operators to maintain databases of subscribers and users, including their full names, physical addresses, passport photos and telephone numbers to assist in investigations into cyber crime, if necessary. (DigitalSense News)