The Centre for Information Technology and Development has unveiled DComms, a decentralised and privacy-focused digital platform, as an alternative to mainstream social media platforms dominated by major technology companies.
The organisation also warned against the growing threats to digital privacy posed by the dominance of a few Big Tech companies over the global digital space.
The project lead, Buhari Abba, stated this on Thursday at a sensitisation workshop organised by CITAD for students of Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria, Kano, on data privacy, online safety and the dangers associated with the misuse of social media.
Abba said the initiative was part of CITAD’s efforts to promote open-source technologies and encourage the adoption of digital platforms that gave users greater control over their data and online privacy.
He said the dominance of a few major technology companies over the global digital space had raised concerns about data ownership, privacy, content moderation and users’ control over online platforms.
According to him, companies operating some of the world’s largest social media platforms have accumulated enormous influence over users’ data and digital interactions, creating a highly concentrated digital ecosystem.
“Social media is something you do not necessarily go to school to learn; much of it is learned as you go.
“Unfortunately, many people fall victim to harassment and blackmail because they are unaware of how these platforms operate,” he said.
Abba urged the students to make informed decisions about their use of social media and explore alternative digital ecosystems such as the DComms, which he said promoted greater user autonomy and community participation.
In a presentation titled, “Big Tech vs. the Fediverse,” an engineer with the CITAD technical team, Yusuf Babagana, said major technology companies, including Facebook, X and Instagram, continued to dominate the digital space.
He said the dominance of a small number of companies could limit competition and give them significant control over how digital information was distributed, how users interacted online and how personal data was collected and monetised.
According to him, the business models of many major social media platforms were largely driven by the collection and analysis of users’ data, making data privacy a major concern.
Babagana said the centralised nature of mainstream platforms also meant that users had limited control over the systems they used and the policies governing their online activities.
He warned the students against online threats, including identity theft, phishing, scams, reputational damage and cyberbullying.
He said decentralised platforms such as the Fediverse provided users with greater autonomy, improved privacy protection and community-based moderation systems.
Another member of the CITAD technical team, Suhail, conducted a live demonstration of the CITAD server on the Fediverse, guiding the participants through account creation and the features of the platform.
The Head of the Department of Mass Communication, R.Y. Suleiman, commended CITAD for organising the workshop.
Suleiman urged the students to take issues relating to data privacy and online safety seriously, while expressing hope for sustained collaboration between the university and CITAD.
He also advised the students to remain vigilant online and consider digital platforms that prioritised privacy, security and greater user control.
