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The Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) warned that centralized platforms on social media such as Facebook (Meta) and X (previously Twitter) are eroding the digital rights of citizens through improper use and data manipulation.
Thursday, Citad’s executive director, Malam Yz Ya’u, raised the concern in Kano, keeping a lesson at the Kano Polytechnic State entitled “Monopoli to Fedeverse: in Peep in an alternative space on social media”.
Ya’u said that the two technological giants grew up in Monopoli with little responsibility, adding that their centralized control allows the exploitation of data, political interference and online suppression.
He accused the collection platforms of user data without consent and to sell them to advertisers, political actors and artificial intelligence developers, for violation of the principles of data protection.
The activist also said that companies promote discriminatory content, citing a report by the Sada Social Center for Digital Rights, which has documented over 1,200 violations against the Palestinians in June 2025.
Alternatively, Ya’u has revealed “DCOMMS”, a decentralized platform developed by Citad, modeled on the Fedeverse to promote the property of the community and the local hosting.
In his observations, Malam Aisar Salihu Musa, coordinator of the project at the mass communication department of Kano Polytechnic, underlined the meaning of this training, highlighting a widespread use of social media without full awareness.
He stressed that the main platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Tiktok often collect users of users without their knowledge and often sell them to companies or political actors.
He also warned that long and complex terms and conditions mean that many users unknowingly agreed to share private information, allowing these companies to exploit their data without explicit authorization.
Shamsiyya Ibrahim, a student from this school who participated in the training program, shared that she really liked it because she turned to dependence on social media.
He learned to better manage his time by limiting the use of the phone and giving himself pauses.
This approach has helped to balance social media with real life activities effectively.
