Members of the Observatoire Marocain de la Souveraineté Numérique (OMSN), the Moroccan Observatory for Digital Sovereignty, say they have observed a “dangerous drift” in the quality of content on the Moroccan web. An OMSN press release stressed that such content could cause real harm to the health and psychological well-being of individuals, not to mention the danger it poses to Moroccan identity and the nation’s enduring values.
“As much as we believe in the freedom of expression guaranteed by these platforms and guaranteed by our country, we are deeply concerned by the reality of the web in Morocco in terms of inappropriate content and shameful practices on the part of people who consider themselves ‘influencers’ and whose sole aim is to make material gains”, said Mustapha MELOUI, President of the Moroccan Observatory for Digital Sovereignty (OMSN).
In this respect, the Observatory calls on the government and relevant authorities to mobilize quickly and unite their efforts to confront this phenomenon and strictly enforce the laws against anyone who dares to promote content that damages the country’s reputation and violates its laws.
To this end, WHON is proposing a battery of practical measures to reduce or at least mitigate this scourge. These measures include raising awareness and educating users about the dangers of this type of content through year-round awareness campaigns.
Citizens need to be educated and supported so that they are able to recognize misleading information and assess the credibility of online sources. Increased awareness will help reduce the spread of misinformation, the press release states.
We also
need to urge all citizens, men and women alike, to report harmful and offensive content, and set up cells to monitor and track such malfunctions. Then include the subject “Digital Education” in various curricula, from primary school onwards, in order to train a generation with a critical mind capable of examining the information and different content they consume on digital platforms.
While the Observatoire Marocain de la Souveraineté Numérique (OMSN) is firmly convinced that the principles of freedom and expression are guaranteed in our country, it urges the various content creators to demonstrate a spirit of responsibility and respect for the laws and societal values of Moroccan society.
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