Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has criticised the government’s proposed mandatory identity verification system for access to pornographic websites, warning that the move could lead to abuse and unnecessary state intrusion into citizens’ private lives.

Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, Mr Bentil argued that while protecting children from harmful online content is important, the state should not be using national identification systems to regulate what adults consume online.

“I am not saying we should do nothing. I am saying it is not the government’s role, in terms of the ID cards, to control people’s consumption of porn,” he said.

His comments come days after Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George disclosed that the government is considering a policy that would require users to verify their age and identity before accessing pornographic websites in Ghana.

The minister said the proposal, which is expected to be submitted to Cabinet for consideration, is intended to prevent minors from accessing explicit online content. Under the proposal, users could be required to provide a Ghana Card, driver’s licence or other approved identification before accessing adult websites.

Reacting to the proposal, Mr Bentil said the greater concern lies not with conventional pornographic websites but with the widespread sharing of explicit content through social media platforms and private messaging applications.

“For me, the worst part of this porn thing is what I call peer-to-peer pornography. What you are seeing on Snapchat and people sending things to people,” he said.

He cautioned against what he described as attempts by governments to act as “morality police,” arguing that such interventions have historically failed and often resulted in unintended consequences.

“This concept of a morality police, human beings have tended to want to do that and it’s always failed,” he stated.

According to him, the responsibility for shaping moral values and protecting young people should primarily rest with parents, schools and religious institutions rather than government regulation.

“You have to raise your children and make sure that they have the kind of morals that make them not want to do certain things,” he said.

Mr Bentil acknowledged that existing laws already place age restrictions on certain activities, but questioned whether the Ministry of Communication should be dedicating significant attention to regulating access to pornography when Ghana faces more pressing digital security challenges.

“There’s real cybercrime in Ghana. Ghana is one of the capitals of international romance fraud,” he said, urging authorities to focus on tackling online fraud and other cyber-enabled crimes.

He further warned that introducing new regulations and administrative structures around pornography could create opportunities for abuse.

“They’re going to create a whole new bureaucracy which will become the basis for oppressing and trapping all kinds of people, and you’ll be surprised what it will be used for,” he cautioned.

Mr Bentil also suggested that the proposal may be part of broader efforts by the government to project a moral image following debates over Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

“I think this government is trying to signal that they want to own a moral high ground. They tried it with the LGBT thing, and they woefully messed it up,” he said.