The Federal Government of Nigeria in what may not come as a surprise on Friday, June 4, 2021, suspended the operations of the world’s largest microblogging platform, Twitter.
This followed after the presidency raised what appears to be concerns that Twitter is meddling in the internal affairs of Nigeria as a sovereign nation.
Recall that, CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey donated cryptocurrency to the #EndSars movement in 2020.
Following that period chieftains of the country’s ruling party called for the suspension of Twitter.
Also recall that the Senate has had back and forth discussions on regulating social media in Nigeria’s digital space.
However, on the part of the social media giant, the presidential tweet that led to this development violates Twitter’s policy.
Is this ban the end of Twitter in Nigeria? As much as we can guess, it’s a No!
There is no doubt that individuals have misused the microblogging platform to incite violence, however, we can’t downplay Twitter’s effect on positively affecting the lives of its users.
In summary, the social media platform has become the major source of livelihood to organizations and individuals leveraging the medium.
Should these people now be deprived of their source of income? What about those who use Twitter to pass out time, should they be deprived of the psychological effect that ensues from such interaction? No!
Technology has made life easy in almost every ramification, including how to make social media more accessible in the wake of a national ban.
According to UberFacts, just hours after the Nigerian government suspended Twitter, the term VPN became the most searched item in Nigeria.
What is VPN?
VPN which is referred fully as Virtual Private Network provides users with online anonymity as it creates a private network culled from an open internet connection.
The network masks your internet protocol (IP) address such that your online activities are untraceable. Summarily, VPN provides encrypted services to offer privacy.
Also read, 4 VPN Realities you should know
Your activities on the web, with Twitter inclusive means that your private details and browsing habits are exposed to prowling eyes.
Using encryption, VPN scrambles data sent through a Wi-Fi network. This encryption makes your data unreadable, with this, nobody can get to eavesdrop on your internet activity.
With VPN your entire web activity is kept anonymous. Asides this, VPN also hides the following:
- Your browsing history
- Your IP address and location
- Your location for streaming
- Your devices
If you are new to the world of VPN, here are some of the networks you can try to stay anonymous in the wake of Twitter’s ban in Nigeria.
Strong VPN
How to set it up:
- Navigate to Google Play Store from your home screen.
- Type StrongVPN in search tab to download the app and click on INSTALL button to install it on your device.
- The StrongVPN app gets downloaded
- Click on OPEN button to install the app.
- Once installed, the StrongVPN icon will be displayed on the device’s screen. Tap on the icon to open the app.
- Type your StrongVPN username and password, and tap on SIGN IN button.
If you need to sign up for an account, please click here.
Your current IP address and time elapsed will be displayed on the top-end on the right side of the screen.
Select your preferred location from our servers list and click
Windscribe
How to set it up via strongwan’s app:
- Download StrongSwan Client from Google Play.
- Get credentials to use to authenticate in the StrongSwan app (requires a pro account).
- Click “Add VPN Profile”
- Input the Server address, username and password as provided on the Profile Generator page;
- Click “Show Advanced Settings”
- Click on the profile you just created to connect
Hotspot Shield
How to set it up:
- Download the Hotspot Shield VPN app on your mobile or desktop device
- Open up the Hotspot Shield VPN app and sign in
- Click the “Connect” button to turn on the VPN connection
- Your device is now protected and you can access your content.
Cyberghost
How to set it up:
- Download the CyberGhost app on your device from play store
- The app will open with the main screen, stating you are not connected to the VPN network yet.
- To activate your VPN tap on the yellow power button (while the connection mode is in ‘Best Location’) / Alternatively, choose a country by tapping on the ‘Best Location’ area.
Other VPNs not listed above: USA VPN, Nord VPN, PIA, Norton, Express, and Surfshark.
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