Akwatia MP urges calm over proposed age verification for porn sites

The Member of Parliament for Akwatia, Bernard Bediako Baidoo, has called on Ghanaians to hold their criticism of the government’s proposed age-verification policy for pornographic websites until the full details are made public.

Speaking on Joy News' Newsfile, the Akwatia MP defended Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George, saying the proposal is primarily aimed at shielding children from harmful adult content online rather than spying on citizens.

Ghana to introduce mandatory ID checks for pornographic websites

“The minister spoke in context, and essentially, if I heard him right, it had to do with the protection of, especially, our children. That must be emphasised,” he said.

Baidoo noted that protecting minors from explicit material enjoys wide support across the country.

“I don’t think any of us here or any Ghanaian has a problem with the protection of our children,” he stated.

He explained that the minister had cited similar systems used in the United Kingdom, where users must verify their age before accessing adult content.

“I don’t think that we are saying that in the UK what he referred to is not true, or if it is true, the government is getting into people’s bedrooms to find out what is happening,” he said.

“All they are using it to do, whether it’s a driver’s licence or something else, is to be able to show your age so that we know that you are not a kid that is hooked onto the site,” he explained.

The MP expressed concern that many critics are reacting to incomplete information.

“The minister only gave, as part of his speech, what the government intends to do. Let him put whatever the blueprint is out there,” he said.

He questioned the rush to judgment, adding: “You have cited a copy yourself? Not yet. So why are we jumping again?”

Baidoo maintained that Ghanaians should allow the full policy to be presented before concluding.

“We are pre-empting what may happen if this happens. Let’s listen to him and judge if we don’t understand what he’s talking about,” he added.

NA/BAI

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