Uganda to collaborate with Iran on developing social media content filters- Minister Baryomunsi
The Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, has announced that the Ugandan government intends to partner with Iran to create advanced technology for filtering inappropriate content on social media, without resorting to complete shutdowns.
Baryomunsi made this revelation during discussions with Iranian government officials, who are currently in Uganda to assess the country's digital transformation progress and explore investment opportunities in the ICT sector.
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Highlighting Iran's successful management of inappropriate content on social media, Baryomunsi acknowledged that Iran already possesses such technology and emphasized the need for Uganda to learn from their experience.
While acknowledging the benefits of technology, he also acknowledged its negative aspects.
"Technology has provided us with social media platforms for communication, but it has also allowed the dissemination of negative content that is harmful to our children and offensive to the population," Baryomunsi stated.
He further explained that the Ministry has been actively exploring methods to acquire similar content-filtering technology, as employed in the Middle East, which allows for the filtering of undesirable content without shutting down social media platforms.
The goal is to ensure that only suitable content is made available to the public while filtering out content that is harmful or inappropriate.
According to Baryomunsi, Iran has confirmed its possession of technology that can assist Uganda in filtering inappropriate content on social media.
He expressed the Ministry's commitment to studying this technology, as well as exploring other available options from different countries.
The introduction of such technologies aims to promote responsible social media use and address the prevalent issue of abuse.
Baryomunsi emphasised that the intention is not to shut down social media but rather to foster communication for development while discouraging abuse and ensuring the well-being of the public.
