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

Thu Aug 17 10:59:11 EAT 2017

Friends,

Here is my take on the above, some of which may have been expressed by
others.

a)    Why is there an increase in the prevalence of Fake News recently?

-   Propaganda has been with mankind since time immemorial; it is not new.
Fake news is not new. For example, it is said that in the days of apartheid
in South Africa, the white supremacist regime routinely planted stories in
print newspapers that passed as the "truth". The challenges of recognizing
what was fake then were harder as the world was less interconnected than it
is today, let alone the cost of associated communication. 

-   Also, lies travel much faster than the truth as captured by such quotes
as (i) a lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting
on its shoes." - Charles Spurgeon; or (ii) "Falsehood flies, and the truth
comes limping after it." - Jonathan Swift

-   In my view what the Internet has done is to aggravate the situation due
to the speed at which information (fake and otherwise) travels in a
"borderless" world. The proliferation of social media and seamless manner in
which messages flow back and forth across platforms (Facebook, twitter,
Instagram, etc.) only exacerbates the situation, making the situation worse.

-   On the other hand, many organizations/agencies/parties/individuals
aren't prepared for the rapid response that would counter such lies. The
amount of resources and associated expertise that would go with such
preparedness is something that many
organizations/agencies/parties/individuals are coming to terms with.

In the last elections, it is said (I can't confirm this) that some entities
(parties, candidates, etc.) hired teams of bloggers to generate fake news as
part of the propaganda campaign, a key component of their election strategy.

b)    What is the role of different categories of users in combating Fake
News?

-       Awareness and Response with healthy skepticism:

o   Individuals and organisations need to be aware of existence of fake
news. As such awareness is a first step. They must learn to treat everything
with skepticism and with an attitude of "trust but verify". In this respect
Facebook has done a great on how to recognize fake news. 

o   Individuals and organizations should hesitate to
forward/share/proliferate anything that appears suspect. In many respects,
some forward such material based on how it resonates/echoes with their inner
tendencies. Thus NASA supporters may be more inclined to share (widely) that
which appears to be inimical to Jubilee and vice versa. 

o   In the same vein, such individuals and organizations should openly
express reservations regarding such content and reasons thereof. That would
also make others be more attentive to concerns raised.

-       When affected

o   Individuals and organizations that are subject of fake news should
rapidly respond and put things right! . Fake news that remains unchallenged
becomes the "truth". . 

-       Future Preparedness

o   Individuals and organizations should be prepared to face fake news when
it happens. In that respect, they need to put their ears to the ground, as
it were, in readiness for anything untoward.

-       The Law

o   I haven't perused the most recent versions of cyber bill in Kenya to see
whether it accommodates this aspect of criminal behaviour. As well, I am not
sure how the penal code address such fake news in the analog world. The law
needs to address. . btw in cyberspace the challenge is that of investigation
to establish the actual culprits. 

c)    Have Kenyans given up or are there good practices in combating? 

I am not aware of evidence to reach such a conclusion. However, my sense is
that Kenyans appear overwhelmed and that those that get affected are not as
prepared for response as would be desirable. Indeed, considering that many
are confronting this for the first time leaves that confused as to how to
effectively respond. 

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?

-       Freedom of expression of the kind we have today is unprecedented in
history. The "democratization" of cyberspace (given the low entry costs)
allows every Tom, Dick and Harry as much as access as anyone out there. It
enables access and express for the ethical and unethical. The elite can have
a voice as much as the lowliest of the low in society.

-       On the other hand, this unprecedented freedom of expression provides
a good vent for pressures in society where many did not have such
opportunities in the past. Our history in Kenya records repression of
expression. My guess is that there is thin link to our historical past. (NB:
it would be interesting to do a comparative study of the rate of occurrence
of fake news in such societies as in the western world versus those like our
own. It would be one way of establishing whether there is a link between the
rate of occurrence of fake news and a society's past.)

-       The false sense of online anonymity exacerbates the situation.
Studies on individuals' online behaviour unmask many aspects of human
conduct that otherwise ordinary lives do not reveal. A good example is a
person's search history! Fake news could be seen in such light!

-       The weak deterrent measures allow perpetrators to continue
perpetuating such behaviour. The transnational nature of such
transgressions, makes deterrence non-trivial! 

e)    We have Bloggers who are seen as influencers. Do they have a higher
duty when communicating?

-   Unlike professional journalists, bloggers have no enforceable code of
ethics. However, they should be demonstrate ethical conduct. This is
especially so for those seen to have substantial influence. . I doubt that
mainstream media can get away with what some of such bloggers get away with.
. the challenge is how to remedy this situation. We should explore how other
jurisdictions are handling similar cases for any lessons on handling such
cases.

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Matunda Nyanchama, PhD, CISSP;  Director & Managing Consultant,
<mailto:mnyanchama at aganoconsulting.com> mnyanchama at aganoconsulting.com

Agano Consulting Inc.;    <http://www.aganoconsulting.com/>
www.aganoconsulting.com; Twitter:  <http://twitter.com/#%21/nmatunda>
nmatunda;  Skype: okiambe
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