By Mustapha Salisu
The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has launched a digital monitoring platform, PAWSOM-Monitor, to track privacy abuses, website disruptions and social media restrictions during elections.
Executive Director of CITAD, Engr. Y.Z. Yau, disclosed this during a press briefing on the platform, saying it would be piloted ahead of the Osun State Governorship Election scheduled for August 15.
Yau said PAWSOM-Monitor was developed to monitor the digital environment and determine whether political parties and candidates have equal access to online platforms during election campaigns.
He explained that the platform uses AI-trained agents to analyse submitted social media handles and websites and provide information on their operational status.
“So if, for instance, I put the website of a political party, it will tell me whether that site is free, has not been interrupted, or has been subjected to some interruptions,” Yau said.
According to him, the platform will also monitor social media accounts, including those on X and Meta, to determine whether political parties or candidates have had their accounts suspended or restricted.
Another component of PAWSOM-Monitor, he said, is a reporting mechanism for unsolicited campaign messages, particularly where individuals receive political messages without giving consent for their personal information to be used.
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Yau said the platform would help establish whether political actors obtained individuals’ telephone numbers or other personal data lawfully before using them for campaign purposes.
“The whole essence of it is that at the end of the day, we should be able to say that in these elections, the data protection law has been observed and no breaches have occurred,” he said.
He added that where violations occur, PAWSOM-Monitor would document and preserve evidence of such breaches to support wider discussions on data protection and digital rights in Nigeria’s electoral process.
Yau, however, noted that violations identified through the monitoring exercise would not automatically lead to the cancellation of an election, as existing electoral laws do not provide for such action.
Rather, he said the findings would contribute to discussions and recommendations on strengthening Nigeria’s electoral laws, particularly regarding the protection of personal data and the prevention of digital restrictions against political opponents.
He said the platform would also help examine whether political parties themselves comply with data protection requirements in the way they collect and use information during campaigns.
CITAD will initially monitor the websites and social media presence of political parties participating in the Osun governorship election, with the exercise serving as a pilot ahead of the 2027 general elections.