Sharing screenshots of a private chat without consent is illegal - Lawyer tells Nigerians

A lawyer has cautioned people to desist from sharing screenshots of private chats without the other party consent as it is illegal.

According to the lawyer in a video shared on social media, he stated that section 37 of the Nigerian constitution frowns at people sharing screenshots of their conversations without consent.

He noted that people who are of the habit of sharing their last chat with a dead person and posting it on their timeline or WhatsApp status should be wary as it is a violation of the law.

"Do you know that unless somebody grants you his consent, you don't have the right to screenshot your chats with any other person on your DM and post it on your timeline or WhatsApp status. In Nigeria, specifically in section 37 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that is a violation of the person's right to privacy.

The one that is baffling is to see people screenshotting their last chat with a dead person and posting it on their timeline or WhatsApp status. It is a violation of the law because if that person were to be alive, he may not be comfortable with you putting out his or her chat on a public platform."

Chapter 4 Section 37 of the Nigerian constitution reads;

"National Protection The right to privacy is one of the fundamental human rights entrenched in the Nigerian Constitution. Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution provides that: “The privacy of citizens, their homes, correspondence, telephone conversations and telegraphic communications is hereby guaranteed and protected.”