[kictanet] Can Facebook fix its own bug? and what lessons for Kenya Elections 2017?

Wed May 3 11:12:17 EAT 2017

The buck here does not only end with Facebook.

This discussion is very similar to the Privacy Policy discussion. For
instance, we can enact Privacy Policy on Software and Services but does it
help that much if the consumer is not aware what a Privacy Policy is and
what its meant to be all about?

Facebook can add to the situation by making it easier to spot fake news.
But then, we will argue that:

   1. This will suppress freedom of expression.
   2. Will beat the purpose or need to have Facebook become a "social
   platform" instead of a "news platform".

This is why you can report a post as well as have facebook flag a news
item, but Facebook is not in a position to block it, unless there is
significant action on the side of the consumer for it to be done so. To
block it from the source is equal to *censorship*.

There should be more of a drive to have consumers aware of what fake news
is, how to spot it, and how to report it, and how to get awareness out
there on what the truth is.

On Wed, May 3, 2017 at 6:55 AM, Ali Hussein via kictanet <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

> Listers
>
> There's no doubt that Facebook has become THE News Platform that humanity
> relies on. The numbers are staggering. Nearly 2 billion people use Facebook
> every month and 1.2 billion daily. It has become a mirror of our lives. In
> more ways than we can imagine.
>
> In 2016 however, Facebook's huge influence in our lives became its biggest
> liability - During the U.S. election, propagandists — some working for
> money, others for potentially state-sponsored lulz — used the service to
> turn fake stories into viral sensations, like the one about Pope Francis’
> endorsing Trump (he hadn’t
> <http://www.factcheck.org/2016/10/did-the-pope-endorse-trump/>). And fake
> news was only part of a larger conundrum. With its huge reach, Facebook has
> begun to act as the great disseminator of the larger cloud of
> misinformation and half-truths swirling about the rest of media. It sucks
> up lies from cable news and Twitter, *then precisely targets each lie to
> the partisan bubble most receptive to it.*
>
> Locally we are seeing similar versions of the problems of the US Election
> being enacted. The most visible one was during the months long doctors'
> strike where pro and against teams were using not only Facebook but twitter
> and Whatsapp to spread truths, half-truths and outright lies.
>
> Should Facebook be held responsible for 'fact-checking' (which by the way
> they have already instituted certain measures to do this) and hire editors
> to 'police' what people post? Or is this a reflection of how society is and
> has nothing to do with Facebook or Social Media at large. The only problem
> with this is that Pre-Social Media lies and fake news usually were confined
> to certain social groups, parties, families etc. Today, you can be an
> instant famous or infamous person by a click of the button.
>
> What can we do in Kenya and Africa in general to ensure this doesn't
> adversely affect our socio and cultural foundations?
>
> Read on:-
>
> https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/25/magazine/can-facebook-
> fix-its-own-worst-bug.html?_r=0
>
> *Ali Hussein*
>
> *Principal*
>
> *Hussein & Associates*
>
>
>
> Tel: +254 713 601113
>
> Twitter: @AliHKassim
>
> Skype: abu-jomo
>
> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
> <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim>
>
>
> 13th Floor , Delta Towers, Oracle Wing,
>
> Chiromo Road, Westlands,
>
> Nairobi, Kenya.
>
> Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely
> mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the
> organizations that I work with.
>
> _______________________________________________
> kictanet mailing list
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
> Twitter: http://twitter.com/kictanet
> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/
>
> Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/
> mailman/options/kictanet/ultimateprogramer%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.
>

-- 
*Ahmed Maawy*
Principal Product Management Specialist - Al Jazeera Media Network
Skype: ultimateprogramer
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/attachments/20170503/44e5ef17/attachment.htm>