[kictanet] Talk to NCIC Day 1: Users and Fake News

Wed Aug 16 15:50:33 EAT 2017

Mercy,

There was a lot of hue and cry over the states involvement in politics
during the just concluded election. It is normally said that politics
is a dirty game. Because certain organs of the state were involved in
the political process, they got stained and will have a had time
removing the stain. The only difference this time round as Grace and
Ali stated was extensive use of Social Media and data mining to
circulate propaganda.

By the way i got messages from my local member of Parliament through
USSD asking me to elect him. This points to the misuse of customer
data or information and calls for the immediate enactment of the data
protection act. I would also propose the need for a stand alone
consumer protection act in light of emerging trends.

Best Regards

On 8/16/17, kanini mutemi via kictanet <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
> Thank you all. I really like the well-thought out contributions so far.
> @Ali allow me to zero in on something you brought out:
>
> * 'the biggest culprits of Fake News the world over are State Players'. *
>
> I would like for us to expound on this a little further in our Kenyan
> context. It is important that we diagnose the problem accurately so as to
> address it comprehensively.
>
> What are some of the ways in which the State has been culpable in the Fake
> News conundrum? Similarly, what role did the political parties play?
>
> On Wed, Aug 16, 2017 at 12:13 PM, Rosemary Koech-Kimwatu via kictanet <
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>
>> Dear Listers,
>>
>> We live in an age unprecedented information and different parties will
>> want to to sway opinions. Fake news provides fertile ground for anyone
>> who
>> wants to take control of conversations.
>>
>>
>> a) Why is there an increase in the prevalence of Fake News recently?
>>
>> One can judge how their audience will receive a specific piece of
>> information in any circumstance so fake news becomes a tool that can be
>> used to manipulate audiences, why wait for events to report on when you
>> can
>> create your own news?
>>
>> (b) What is the role of different categories of users in combating Fake
>> News?
>>
>> All categories of users have one role calling our fake news, otherwise if
>> we can't tell the difference between fake or real news then all news will
>> very soon become irrelevant. All stakeholders must ensure the truth is
>> upheld in all circumstances.
>>
>> (c) Have Kenyans given up or are there good practices in combating Fake
>> News?
>>
>> There is a large group of Kenyans who cannot tell real from fake news,
>> some of us may spot it really fast or even research to verify, in the
>> interest of those who easily fall victim there must be a concerted effort
>> to flag perpetrators of fake news.
>>
>> (d) Is Fake News a manifestation of deeper societal issues and if so, are
>> there ways of combating it other than resolving the societal issues?
>>
>> We may be unable to resolve the societal issues as these evolve from day
>> to day, the last line of defense for what is right is protecting the
>> truth,
>> we all thought increased access to information would solve societal
>> problems however we  have also created an abyss of disinformation and we
>> must work to correct this.
>>
>>
>> *(e) We have Bloggers who are seen as influencers. Do they have a higher
>> duty when communicating?*
>>
>> Influencers surely do have a higher duty however other technical
>> stakeholders must work overtime to protect the integrity of news for
>> example pulling down fake websites that purport to be legitimate news
>> sites.
>>
>> We must work really hard to protect the integrity of information mediums
>> and combating fake news must be made a priority.
>>
>> Kind regards,
>>
>> Rosemary Koech-Kimwatu
>>
>> On Wed, Aug 16, 2017 at 10:02 AM, kanini mutemi via kictanet <
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>
>>> Good morning Listers,
>>>
>>> Let me start of by thanking NCIC for their willingness to engage on this
>>> issue. We look forward to a a great discussion and pragmatic proposals.
>>>
>>> We had a discussion on this during the PRE KIGF ONLINE DISCUSSION DAY 2-
>>> FAKE NEWS DURING ELECTIONEERING.
>>> <https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxmvjvsBlX3dUmVfS3IyaTdkZ0U/view>
>>> I will say at that time, the impact of Fake News was not apparent. Times
>>> have since changed as we have now witnessed numerous 'Fake News' posts
>>> which go viral within minutes. Following the election results, posts on
>>> alleged instances of violence and of government action in parts of the
>>> country have dominated social media platforms. On several occasions,
>>> government officials, media houses and diligent citizens have come
>>> forward
>>> to denounce these posts as 'Fake News'. Photos that were first presented
>>> as
>>> true accounts of the situation on the ground were later discovered to be
>>> old photos of past events. At the same time, there have been instances
>>> where posts were quickly dismissed as 'Fake News' even when there was
>>> evidence later on that they were indeed factual reports. There is
>>> therefore
>>> a need for us to navigate through this issue carefully.
>>>
>>> Just for the record, it was agreed previously that the definition we are
>>> working with is Fake News refers to disinformation which GG aptly put as:
>>> *fabricated
>>> news that has no basis in fact, but is presented as being factually
>>> accurate. *
>>>
>>> With this in mind, I invite you to engage on the questions below:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *(a) Why is there an increase in the prevalence of Fake News recently?*
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *(b) What is the role of different categories of users in combating Fake
>>> News?*
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *(c) Have Kenyans given up or are there good practices in combating Fake
>>> News?*
>>>
>>>
>>> *(d) Is Fake News a manifestation of deeper societal issues and if so,
>>> are there ways of combating it other than resolving the societal
>>> issues?*
>>>
>>> *(e) We have Bloggers who are seen as influencers. Do they have a higher
>>> duty when communicating?*
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> *Mercy Mutemi*.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Rosemary Koech-Kimwatu
>> Advocate
>> Head of Legal and Regulatory Affairs-Wayawaya
>> Tel: +254 718 181644
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>> mailman/options/kictanet/kaninimutemi%40gmail.com
>>
>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and
>> development.
>>
>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and
>> bandwidth,
>> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
>> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> *Mercy Mutemi, Advocate*.
>

-- 
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