Former Tamale Central MP, Inusah Fuseini, has stressed the need to strike a balance between protecting free speech and holding individuals accountable for their utterances, particularly in the age of social media.

Speaking on JoyNews’s Newsfile programme on Saturday, September 13, the former legislator cautioned that while freedom of expression is guaranteed under the Constitution, it must not be abused to promote hate or incite violence.

“Free speech is an essential pillar of our democracy, but it cannot be exercised in isolation from responsibility,” Mr Fuseini said.

“If we allow people to say anything at all without consequence, we risk undermining social cohesion and the stability of our country.” He emphasised that accountability must not be seen as censorship, but as a safeguard against the misuse of liberties.

His comments came in response to President Mahama’s announcement that government has deployed a system to track individuals who use social media to spread hate.

The President disclosed that the National Signals Bureau (NSB) has been equipped with new technology capable of tracing the IP addresses of devices to identify the sources of such messages.

He said the measure was necessary to deter the growing trend of online abuse and hate speech.

Mr Fuseini noted that while the state has a duty to protect citizens from harmful rhetoric.