Nigeria, Sept. 29 -- At this year's annual Economic Confidential Lecture, Kashifu Inuwa, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), called for an inclusive, citizen-centered legal framework to combat cyber attacks and online bullying. He emphasized the urgent need for accountability and rights protection in the country's digital space. Although Inuwa didn't specify the framework's details, there are growing concerns about protecting freedom of expression and speech without infringing on others' integrity.

Across the world, the battle over free speech has shifted from the streets and newspaper columns to the digital arena. Social media platforms, once hailed as liberating spaces for expression,...