Nigerian online forum, Nairaland, has resumed operations after it was taken down on Monday by Cloudflare, its hosting provider, following reports of abuse.
Founder of Nairaland, Seun Osewa, confirmed the platform’s return in a statement, but added that Nairaland was only operating temporarily, and that additional downtime might occur.
“We had to transfer Nairaland to a temporary host in order to bring it back to you. A very time-consuming process. We are not fully back, even though most features of the site are working. We still have a long way to go. Additional downtime is likely; don’t let it alarm you,” Osewa’s statement read.
The incident has sparked discussions about potential content moderation changes and improvements to the platform’s design, which has remained unchanged since its launch in 2005. The episode also raises broader questions about the power and accountability of internet gatekeepers in content moderation efforts.
Osewa had previously hinted at potential updates, acknowledging the need for Nairaland to evolve and make changes to its existing content moderation practices and perhaps its interface.
Launched in 2005, Nairaland, boasts around 3 million registered users, serving as a forum for a wide range of topics, including news, politics, entertainment, and technology.