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

Thu Aug 24 15:20:05 EAT 2017

Very interesting perspective Joash, well summarised.

Best Regards

On Thu, Aug 24, 2017 at 12:06 PM, kanini mutemi via kictanet <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

> Toilem, Joash and Wangari,
>
> Your  comments are well noted. This will definitely inform the report.
>
> On Thu, Aug 24, 2017 at 10:29 AM, WANGARI KABIRU via kictanet <
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>
>> Warm greetings!
>>
>> We have a balance to arrive at hopefully. Who has greater rights? The
>> sender - freedom of speech or the receiver - right to receive (credible)
>> information (is it also considered a human right?).
>>
>> Whereas it may also be attributed that there is choice of information, is
>> information "Information" when it is credible. Also it is choose "Platform
>> A" or "in reality no other", choose.Which platform did we say is Kenyan??
>> or from Africa? or "buy Kenya, buy Africa" evokes a natural digital silence.
>>
>> If the platform was mainstream media with "false news", " fake news",
>> "hate speech", "defamation", " propaganda", would it be immune? - Or would
>> a barrage of sanctions be upon the media house. What makes the Internet
>> platforms (and the players including content generators, distributors)
>> immune?
>> - Would the National Agencies be handling it as they are now? We might be
>> breeding a future "clash" driven by deep pocketed business interests versus
>> the meek and humble masses of consumers and a few more engaged digital
>> citizens.
>>
>> Not forgetting that there is humanity in the midst of all this. This is
>> recipe for lack of peace and ingredient for instability. Perhaps even
>> between nations, especially in fragile moments. Wars are known to have been
>> started with false information reiterated - until it became "the only known
>> truth". The Nazi, the oppression of the Jews should not be too far from our
>> thoughts, minds and hearts.
>>
>> The next war (s) is not on land with horses and chariots, neither with
>> man-made guns, or control freak robots, but in the knowledge world, in the
>> cyber spaces. The next business relations, diplomatic relations is feeding
>> the cyber hungry - perhaps the smarter ones now.
>>
>> https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/23/silicon-valley
>> -big-data-extraction-amazon-whole-foods-facebook
>>
>> "Personal data is to the tech world what oil is to the fossil fuel
>> industry. That’s why companies like Amazon and Facebook plan to dig deeper
>> than we ever imagined...."
>>
>> "... A hundred years ago, you could dig a hole in Texas and strike oil.
>> Today, fossil fuel companies have to build drilling platforms many miles
>> offshore. The tech industry faces a similar fate. Its wildcat days are
>> over: most of the data that lies closest to the surface is already
>> claimed...".
>>
>> We get to appreciate that "false fake news" feeds the cyber hunger with
>> what is craves for most - data.
>>
>> For National agencies based on this topic, such as NCIC, CA , the game is
>> already cut out and it is time not just to look inwards into the Kenyan(s)
>> sideshows but the global playfield. This may feed what would be the glaring
>> future defining the work today.
>>
>> Thanks to NCIC for stepping into this engaging discourse.
>>
>>
>> Blessed day
>>
>> ---
>> Pray God Bless. 2013Wangari circa - "Being of the Light, We are Restored
>> Through Faith in Mind, Body and Spirit; We Manifest The Kingdom of God on
>> Earth".
>>
>>
>> On Wednesday, 23 August 2017, 18:45, Joash Moitui via kictanet <
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Thanks Merci for steering this debate! My two cents!
>>
>> Why is there an increase in the prevalence of Fake News recently?
>> Bending the truth for political gain is certainly nothing new - it’s
>> propaganda, and the record of its uses stretch back to ancient times.
>>
>> Octavian famously used a campaign of disinformation to aid his victory
>> over Marc Anthony in the final war of the Roman Republic. In its aftermath,
>> he changed his name to Augustus, and dispatched a flattering and youthful
>> image of himself throughout the Empire, maintaining its use in his old age.
>>
>> The rising trend of fake news during 2016 was very different to largely
>> state controlled analogue modes of 20th-century propaganda. What we saw
>> often here were small groups of people taking advantage of social media
>> interaction and algorithms through creating hyperbolic articles around a
>> major political event: the US Presidential election.
>>
>> Propaganda and Internet fake news do, however, hold similarities: both
>> are methods of distorting the truth for emotional persuasion, seeking to
>> drive action. Although this action appears to be political, the motivation
>> in the 2016 US election was not necessarily. Many creators of it were
>> moreover looking for a path to quick dollars by distributing content and
>> gaining an audience that would view advertising.
>>
>> Before the Internet, publishing fake news and gaining an audience that
>> could be monetized was nearly impossible for three reasons:
>>
>> Distribution and cost: Distributing information on any kind of scale
>> needed a prohibitively expensive logistics operation.
>>
>> Audiences and trust: Building a large audience took much longer, and
>> because it was expensive to acquire and built on trust of information,
>> publishing fake news would be damaging to reputation and thus have economic
>> consequences.
>>
>> Law and regulation: Because it was expensive to distribute information,
>> there were far fewer players. These abided by media law and could be
>> regulated. Publishing fake news would likely end up with the publisher
>> being sued.
>>
>> But this gate of information exchange was unlocked around 2007, with the
>> beginnings of the social media revolution. The creation of social networks
>> like Facebook and Twitter allowed people to exchange information on a much
>> greater scale than ever before, while publishing platforms like WordPress
>> allowed anyone to create a dynamic website with ease.
>>
>> What is the role of different categories of users in combating Fake News?
>>
>> Governments, as one of the largest users of the internet,  have a role to
>> play. They can compel providers of social media to take action of fake
>> news, illegal and misinformation shared in their platforms. In 2016, The
>> German authorities are targeted Internet giants like Facebook, and plan to
>> require them to take action against fake news posted on their sites failing
>> which fines of up to 500,000 euros can be imposed.
>>
>> In Britain, there is a parliamentary committee looking into the issue.
>> The Singapore Government announced last month it is studying the matter and
>> looks likely to introduce new laws. Why are governments stepping in, and
>> will they succeed?
>>
>>
>> Is Fake News a manifestation of deeper societal issues and if so, are
>> there ways of combating it other than resolving the societal issues?
>>
>> Misinformation can be very difficult to correct and may have lasting
>> effects even after it is discredited. One reason for this persistence is
>> the manner in which people make causal inferences based on available
>> information about a given event or outcome. As a result, false information
>> may continue to influence beliefs and attitudes even after being debunked
>> if it is not replaced by an alternate causal explanation. This hypothesis
>> has been tested using an experimental paradigm adapted from the psychology
>> literature on the continued influence effect and found that a causal
>> explanation for an unexplained event is significantly more effective than a
>> denial even when the denial is backed by unusually strong evidence. This
>> result has significant implications for how to most effectively counter
>> misinformation about controversial political events and outcomes. (Nyhan,
>> Brendan; Reifler, Jason. Journal of Experimental Political Science, 2015.
>> doi: 10.1017/XPS.2014.22)
>>
>> We have Bloggers who are seen as influencers. Do they have a higher duty
>> when communicating?
>> In the delivery of information, bloggers are required to be responsible
>> morally and ethically. They can become agents of change and bring people to
>> a better direction. With the ability to filter, search, and retransmit
>> information with their own characteristics, bloggers have the ability to
>> translate government language into a language that is easily understood by
>> the public.
>>
>> I believe that bloggers have an important role in fighting hoaxes because
>> usually, the content written in blogs are personal and honest, based on
>> personal experiences.
>>
>> Before generating a content, bloggers need to analyze, read a lot of
>> sources and include the news source. This will make the news traceable to
>> the truth. Through their blogs, bloggers have a vast opportunity in
>> offsetting the hoax news.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>>
>>
>> Joash Moitui
>> [image: Inline image]
>> about.me/jmoitui
>> <https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/d6e5d3afecd910e747507b2960b557bdf03ff7f2?url=https%3A%2F%2Fabout.me%2Fjmoitui%3Fpromo%3Demail_sig%26utm_source%3Dproduct%26utm_medium%3Demail_sig%26utm_campaign%3Dgmail_api&userId=521787&signature=c81611197b773ac2>
>>
>> On Sat, Aug 19, 2017 at 12:40 AM, Toilem Godwin via kictanet <
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>
>> *Hi Mercy, thank you for keeping th discusions alive.*
>>
>> *Kindly see my comments below:*
>>
>> *(a) Why is there an increase in the prevalence of Fake News recently?*
>> *"............................. ..............................
>> .............................. .................."*
>>
>> *I have been doing a research on why we have an increase in fake news for
>> a few days now and what is suprisingly interesting is  the fact that most
>> "upcoming"  journalist/bloggers/ sociologist if I may put it lightly are
>> fighting for recognition.*
>> */online space. The concept of social media and sharing has made
>> people/bloggers/sociologist/ journalists be fast on clicking submit/sharing
>> and ignore verifying the info they receive/share. These kinds of
>> "joulalists" if i may put it lightly are very fast in to submitting
>> unverified news/info for the sake of recognition and receiving receiving
>> sociAl recognition as the "origin" fake and legit news. In short they do
>> not really care the status of tehe news but to get more "likes/share"*
>> *"............................. ..............................
>> .............................. .................."*
>>
>> *(b) What is the role of different categories of users in combating Fake
>> News?*
>> *"............................. ..............................
>> .............................. ....."*
>> * IMHO I have three role of user categories.*
>> *1. The platform admins: these are admins for different account and
>> mostly guys who should control flow of information but due due to many
>> issues arising from the restriction of flow of information ( whether
>> verified or unverified news) the defaults tend to be " allow all".*
>> *2. The posters: These are people who post the news. These are to me
>> regarded the most dangerous users and in a way should be restricted or
>> Managed by the admins.*
>> *3. The consumers*
>>
>>
>> *(c) Have Kenyans given up or are there good practices in combating Fake
>> News?*
>>
>>
>>
>> *"............................. ..............................
>> .............................. .............................. ........"*
>> *Not all Kenyans have. IMHO Most Kenyans are consumers of news compared
>> to producers of news. Most Kenyans just react to feeds they receive as
>> compared to generating the news. Most Kenyans ( just to be subjective based
>> on different feeds) to tend to react but initiate most 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?*
>>
>> *"............................. ..............................
>> .............................. .............."*
>>
>>
>>
>> *IMHO I view most fake news are as a deeper societal issues like where
>> one has no idea or prefers airing their views that are not verified but to
>> gain a social media status. This is one of the main factors of fake and
>> unverified news.Kenyans ar now competing to "summit" but rather verify news
>> they are sharing.*
>>
>> *(e) We have Bloggers who are seen as influencers. Do they have a higher
>> duty when communicating?*
>>
>> On Wed, 16 Aug 2017 at 10:10 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://mailtrack.io/trace/link/d30ff55f90841e2f1223a9773031f1c49f015149?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrive.google.com%2Ffile%2Fd%2F0BxmvjvsBlX3dUmVfS3IyaTdkZ0U%2Fview&userId=521787&signature=f9b8bbc62dfa72b8>
>> 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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>> --
>> Kind Regards,
>> Toilem Poriot Godwin
>>
>> *Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness,
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>>
>>
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>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
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>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
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>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
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>> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
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>> 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.
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>> 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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> 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.
>
>

-- 
Barrack O. Otieno
+254721325277
+254733206359
Skype: barrack.otieno
PGP ID: 0x2611D86A
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