Support Police with IT experts to monitor social media – Irbard to UN

Peace Ambassador and a security expert, Irbard Ibrahim, has told the United Nations to support the Ghana Police Service with IT experts to monitor activities on social media in the country, especially, during the November general elections.

He is confident that such assistance will help the men and women in black uniform censor any inflammatory statements or comments that will be posted on social media before they cause any harm to the security of the nation during Election Day.

The Ghana Police Service, he noted, lacks the wherewithal to monitor activities on social media unlike other jurisdictions where they’ve risen to the occasion to avert any possible electoral violence.

“If some of our young people who are users of social media have proven not to be responsible, then the UN must provide the Police with the IT resources to counter their activities or create a proactive facebook and twitter handle to the Electoral Commission to help them in their job”, the security expert noted when interacting with Accra-based Okay FM, Monday.

His reaction was in connection to the UN stance against the ban of social media proposed by the Inspector of General of Police (IGP), John Kudalor, on Election Day.

The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWA), Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, during his visit to Ghana last week announced that the UN frowns on restricting press freedom and therefore will not support the banning of social media on Election Day.

“I should say without hesitation that from a UN point of view, we would be obviously averse to any steps that will amount to restricting the democratic space particularly any steps that will be taken to restrict the freedom of expression,” Chambas said.

“For good or bad, a total ban would obviously not be something the UN would encourage,” he added.

Irbard Ibrahim commenting further on the issue said he strongly disagrees with the UN because the security of the nation overrides any other interest and would therefore support the Police Service to temporarily block social media if the need arises, especially, on Election Day.

“If we don’t block social media on Election Day, it will have various security repercussions for us because people will use it for the mobilization of political violence. The fabrication of stories will be too much to handle. Some people will send out certain information with pictorial evidence just to incite the people. So, to me I don’t agree with the UN not to block social media on Election Day. If they don’t want us to block social media on Election Day, then they should provide us with alternative that will help us”, he noted.