Member of Parliament for Akwatia, Bernard Bediako Baidoo, has defended Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George’s proposed age-verification policy for access to pornographic websites, urging critics to withhold judgment until the full details of the proposal are made public.

His remarks come amid growing debate over the government’s plans to introduce age-verification requirements for access to pornographic websites in Ghana.

Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George recently disclosed that the government is considering a framework that could require users to provide identification, such as a Ghana Card or driver’s licence, before accessing adult content online.

The proposal has attracted criticism from some commentators and civil society figures, who have raised concerns about privacy, data protection and potential government overreach.

Speaking on Newsfile, Mr Baidoo said the minister’s comments had been taken in the proper context of protecting children from exposure to explicit online content.

“The minister spoke in context, and essentially, if I heard him right, it had to do with the protection of, especially, our children. That must be emphasised,” he said.

According to the Akwatia legislator, there is a broad public consensus on the need to shield minors from harmful content online, regardless of differing views on how such protection should be implemented.

“I don’t think any of us here or any Ghanaian has a problem with the protection of our children,” he stated.

Mr Baidoo noted that the Communications Minister had referenced measures adopted in the United Kingdom, where age-verification systems are used to restrict minors’ access to adult content online.

He argued that the proposal should not be interpreted as the government attempting to monitor citizens’ private activities.

“I don’t think that we are saying that in the UK what he referred to is not true, or if it is true, the government is getting into people’s bedrooms to find out what is happening,” he said.

According to him, the purpose of identity verification in such systems is simply to confirm that users are adults.

“All they are using it to do, whether it’s a driver’s licence or something else, is to be able to show your age so that we know that you are not a kid that is hooked onto the site,” he explained.

Responding to such concerns, Mr Baidoo said critics were reacting to a proposal that has not yet been formally presented to the public.

“The minister only gave, as part of his speech, what the government intends to do. Let him put whatever the blueprint is out there,” he said.

When asked whether he had personally seen the proposed framework, the MP acknowledged that he had not.

“You have cited a copy yourself? Not yet. So why are we jumping again?” he questioned.

Mr Baidoo maintained that public debate should be informed by the actual details of the policy rather than speculation about what it might contain.

“We are pre-empting what may happen if this happens. Let’s listen to him and judge if we don’t understand what he’s talking about,” he added.

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Protecting Children is Main Focus in Porn Site Identification Plan — Bernard Baidoo

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