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JUST IN: UNIZIK Expels Female Student Over Viral TikTok Incident

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka has expelled a female student, Goddy-Mbakwe Chimamaka Precious, for assaulting a lecturer from the Department of Theatre and Film Studies.

The expulsion, according to a memo from the institution, comes after a thorough investigation by the Student Disciplinary Committee, which found Precious’ actions to be a gross violation of the institution’s disciplinary regulations.

The incident that led to Precious’ expulsion occurred when she was making a TikTok video and a lecturer, Dr. Chukwudi Michael Okoye, walked past her. Okoye had asked Precious to delete the video, which she refused to do, leading to the lady physically assaulting him.

The memo said:

The Ag. Vice-Chancellor has received the report from the Student Disciplinary Committee on the case of your assault on a lecturer from the Department of Theater and Film Studies which was found to be a gross misconduct and violation of the Students Disciplinary Regulations particularly Regulation 4 (SDR).

Consequently, the Ag. Vice-Chancellor has, on behalf of the University Senate, approved the Committee’s recommendation that you be expelled and you are hereby expelled from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

The expulsion takes immediate effect.

You are expected to vacate the University premises immediately and return any University property in your possession.

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Headlines

Online Safety: TikTok deletes over 2m violating videos in Nigeria

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

TikTok has removed over 2 million videos in Nigeria between July and September 2024.

The social media platform detailed this in its latest Q3 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report.

99.1% of these videos were removed within 24 hours.

In a statement on Tuesday, the company, however, emphasised that the move was a global effort with local impact, aimed at reaffirming the platform’s resolve to online safety.

The statement reads: “With over a billion people around the world, using the platform and millions of pieces of content posted every day, TikTok continues to invest in technologies which improve content understanding and assess potential risks, allowing the platform to remove harmful content before it reaches viewers.

“With a proactive detection rate now at 98.2% globally, TikTok is more efficient than ever at addressing harmful content before users encounter it. Globally, between July and September 2024, the platform removed over 147 million videos globally and of these, 118 million were removed through automation. In Nigeria, 92.1% of all videos were removed before a community member reported it to TikTok.”

“In Nigeria, the policy areas which saw the most videos removed include Sensitive and mature themes, with 99.4% removals happening before any user reports, regulated goods and commercial activities, with 99.1% removals happening before any user reports.

“This includes content such as attempts to defraud or scam members of our community or content that seeks to trade or market things such as firearms or explosive weapons, to name a few examples. Mental and behavioural health, with 99.9% of removals happening before any user reports. This reflects TikTok’s commitment to protecting its users, especially younger audiences, from content that could negatively affect mental health.

“TikTok’s mission to inspire creativity and bring joy is underpinned by a strong commitment to user safety, well-being, and content integrity. The platform prioritises a positive environment where users feel free to create, connect, and be entertained. To uphold these standards, TikTok continuously invests in Trust and Safety professionals who collaborate with advanced technology to enforce its robust Community Guidelines, Terms of Service and Advertising Policies.”

“The Q3 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report highlights TikTok’s leadership in content moderation and safety standards, ensuring a secure and positive platform experience for Nigerian users.

“TikTok remains dedicated to enhancing its safety measures and collaborating with global experts to safeguard its community”

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Africa & World

JUST IN: TikTok to be banned in the US from Sunday

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law that will ban TikTok in the United States, potentially denying the video-sharing app to 170 million users in the United States on January 19.

In a major defeat for TikTok, the court ruled that the law does not violate free speech rights and that the US government had demonstrated legitimate national security concerns about a Chinese company owning the app.

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Africa & World

Tiktoker sentenced to 6 years imprisonment for insulting President

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

A court in Uganda has sentenced Edward Awebwa, 24, a tiktoker to six years in prison for insulting President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, and their son Muhoozi Kainerugaba in a TikTok video.

The charges included hate speech and spreading “misleading and malicious” information against the first family, as reported by BBC.

Awebwa had shared content alleging a rise in taxes under President Museveni’s administration.

Despite pleading guilty and asking for forgiveness, the presiding magistrate, Stella Maris Amabilis, noted Awebwa’s lack of remorse and the vulgar nature of his language.

She emphasized the need for a punitive measure that would teach him to respect the president and his family.

“The accused deserves a punishment which will enable him to learn from his past so that next time he will respect the person of the president, the first lady, and the first son,” said Magistrate Amabilis.

Awebwa received a six-year sentence for each of the four charges, to be served concurrently.

This case has drawn attention from rights groups, who frequently criticize Ugandan authorities for human rights violations and curbing freedom of expression.

In a similar case, award-winning author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was charged in 2022 with “offensive communication” after making unflattering remarks about the president and his son on Twitter.

Rukirabashaija fled to Germany after a month in jail, claiming he was tortured.

Activist and writer Stella Nyanzi, who is also in exile, faced imprisonment after publishing a critical poem about President Museveni.

President Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, signed a law against hate speech in 2022, which rights groups argue is designed to suppress online freedom of speech.

While the constitutional court later ruled a section of the law penalizing “offensive communication” unconstitutional, Awebwa was charged under the broader law still under challenge.

Ugandan human rights lawyer Michael Aboneka argued that the president and his family should expect criticism from the public.

“Unless they are saying that they are going to arrest every Ugandan for criticizing them at every point,” Aboneka told the BBC Newsday program.

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Headlines

Tiktok deletes 1.4m videos uploaded by Nigerians, gives reason

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

TikTok, the short video platform owned by Bytedance, says it deleted 1.4 million videos uploaded by Nigerian users over the company’s policy violations in the third quarter of 2023.

The company disclosed this in its recently published Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, which stated that it deleted 73.6 million accounts that were found to be fraudulent or spam during the period under review.

According to the corporation, 348.7 million likes on videos were also deleted.

It added that 7.2 billion fake follow requests and 211.3 million fake followers were deleted.

The company found that the deleted likes, followers, and follow requests were the result of “automated or inauthentic mechanisms.”

“As always, we’re looking for outside threats and taking precautions to protect the platform from fraudulent accounts and activity. There are periodic variations in the reported metrics in these regions due to these attackers’ continual probing and attacking of our systems.

“Despite this, we’re unwavering in our resolve to swiftly detect and delete any accounts, materials, or actions that aim to manipulate users’ popularity on our platform,” TikTok stated.

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