Misinformation and murder: Will Facebook find itself on the wrong side of history again?

Is Facebook letting Nigeria's Army determine the truth?  in partnership with FLUTTERWAVE 22.10.2020 Good morning. In Nigeria, security forces have unleashed a terrifying chain of violence that has claimed lives. The dead aren't mere numbers or footnotes in the reign of terror from a gruesome government. They are real people- sons, daughters, wives, husbands... [RIP Obi-Enadhuze Oke.]( In today's edition: -Misinformation -Taxes -Event update PARTNER CONTENT  Bamboo, a Flutterwave merchant, gives you unrestricted access to over 3,000 stocks listed on the Nigerian stock exchange and U.S. stock exchanges, right from your mobile phone or computer. With as little as $20, you can create and fund your Bamboo account with your Dollar or Naira cards and through bank transfers. Start buying and selling shares or stock bundles (called Exchange Traded Funds) in just a few taps, begin [here](. MISINFORMATION If you're on Twitter, odds are, you would have seen some of the gory images and videos from Nigeria. Some of the videos show soldiers shooting at unarmed protesters as well as policemen killing people on the streets. The videos have caught the attention of the international community and media. [Hillary Clinton]( [Nicki Minaj]( and Joe Biden have tweeted in support of Nigeria's #EndSARS protests and have asked the government to stop killing its people. What's happening on social media platforms? While the #EndSARS has its own special icon on Twitter, if you're on Instagram or Facebook, there's very little sign of the mayhem happening in Nigeria. How? Many people who tried to post pictures and videos of the Lekki toll gate shooting or victims on Instagram had their posts removed for being fake. The Nigerian Army's propaganda campaign On October 20, the Army announced a nationwide exercise tagged "Crocodile Smile VI" - On October 20, at around 6pm (WAT), Nigerian Army personnel are seen in various videos shooting at unarmed protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate - A Nigerian DJ, DJ Switch, captured the events of the night of October 20 on her Instagram Live Channel - On October 21, the Nigerian Army said none of its men were present at Lekki toll gate, despite video evidence - The Lagos state governor also wrongly stated in a broadcast on October 21, that there were no fatalities from the incident “The Exercise is deliberately intended to be all encompassing to include cyber warfare exercises designed to identify, track and counter negative propaganda in the social media and across the cyberspace." Thanks to this campaign, the Nigerian Army is now claiming that verified videos and photos of soldiers shooting at unarmed protesters are fake. It is easy to infer that it is based on the Army's propaganda campaign that Facebook is deciding what the truth is. Will Facebook come down on the wrong side of history again? While Twitter has been proactive with calling attention to Nigeria's #EndSARS protests, Facebook seems to be content with looking the other way. It is a curious decision from Facebook, given that the company has been here before. Two years ago, Facebook's refusal to act as Myanmar military personnel flooded their platform with [hate speech led to a genocide.]( It is making the same mistake again, by allowing Nigeria's military sources who are guilty of crimes against humanity to determine what the truth is. Go deeper: [The Nigerian Army is pushing misinformation on Twitter](  STRANGE NEW TAXES In October, the government of Cameroon announced a strange new tax.... This new tax compelled device owners to pay a levy equivalent to 33% of the cost of the phones or tablets they purchased from October 2020 as import duties. Yep, you read that right. The new tax was to be implemented from October 15 but Cameroonians pushed back hard. #EndPhoneTax - The phone tax is 33% of the total factory price of the mobile device - The responsibility for the payment of the Customs clearance fees would lie with the end-user of the telephone in case the importer failed to pay the tax. - An automated billing platform was put in place and linked to the user’s mobile network provider, making it possible for the user’s airtime account to be automatically debited for the tax payment Cameroonians rejected the phone tax immediately and online, [they used the hashatg #EndPhoneTax]( to let the government know their displeasure. Now. The Government has backed down, announcing the immediate suspension of the phone tax on October 21. + [Cameroon's quirky phone tax takes phone import duty from end users]( EVENT UPDATE The TechCabal Live event, "Building from ground up," slated for this Friday with Shola Akinlade, the CEO of Paystack has been postponed. We're postponing this event because of the violent response of Nigeria's armed forces to peaceful protesters across the county. A new date will be announced soon. [Sign up here]( and follow us [on Twitter]( to stay informed. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SHARED THE TC DAILY? Did you enjoy today's newsletter? Then share it with your network and call it your good deed for the day! We're not trying to be like that band you discovered two years ago but you haven't put anyone onto. Sharing is caring! If this email was forwarded to you, [subscribe here.](  #EndSARS - Olumuyiwa   Share TC Daily with your friends!    Copyright © 2020 Big Cabal Media, All rights reserved. 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