[kictanet] URGENTLY REQUIRED IN KENYA & AFRICA - Increased Public Awareness about advanced Fake News methods and technologies

Tue Jan 29 08:37:17 EAT 2019

 Thanks Barrack,
That is a good start but I am afraid it sounds woefully inadequate. 
Fake news has greatest impact in "mashinani" (grassroots) i.e. low income areas, informal settlements, remote villages, and upcountry as they are highly volatile and prone to ethnic/political mobilisation.
What percentage of the 45 Million Kenyans were reached? Was data collected in all counties on the state of fake-news awareness (before / after) to gauge program effectiveness? 
Then there are the new developments... What percentage of Kenyans know about deep fakes (AI synthesised fake videos)? 

Public awareness needs a coordinated *mass media* and *grassroots* campaign. It has to be sustained for several years until fully absorbed into the education curriculum.

KICTANET cannot afford to do this and should not be the driver. Public awareness for National Security is squarely a *Government responsibility* - with KICTANET role being to push/lobby for meaningful approach / action by Government.
The other area that KICTANET can push is for the legislation of technical measures to reduce virality potential of fake news. Platforms must be held partially responsible for damages/losses caused by fake news just as publishers are held responsible for publishing libel, for example. 
Let's remember most of these global platforms have very little stake in our security or stability (they don't have significant physical ties to Kenya/Africa that would truly make them care e.g. how many of the top FB/Telegram/Twitter shareholders live in Kenya with their families?). If Kenya burns, they will simply relocate their skeleton team to another country in Africa and continue business as usual.
Worse, multinational Big tech are notorious tax avoiders, profit repatriators and economic disruptors (they *steal* valuable attention from our paid workers - diverting millions if not BILLIONS of shillings away from our economy - it's amazing employers haven't sued social media platforms yet!) and , so the risks some of them add to society is grossly disproportionate to their economic contribution. This is why EU (including UK), India, Singapore, China and Russia are getting tough on them!
Patrick.

    On Tuesday, January 29, 2019, 7:51:26 AM GMT+3, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com> wrote:  

 Hi Patrick,
You may not have joined the list but KICTANet and other local partners such as CIPIT , BAKE and the NCIC have made efforts to sensitize the Public on Fake News. KICTANet in partnership with NCIC actually hosted a workshop at the Stanley Hotel on Fake news in September 2017. Another policy brief touching on information controls was produced just before the elections.You can find the Policy briefs on the KICTAnet website.
Best
On 29 Jan 2019 06:11, "Patrick A. M. Maina via kictanet" <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

I pray that Government officials on this list will take the AFP article below seriously. The technologies described in the article are real and could be used to radicalize ignorant youth or to spark chaos e.g. during political transition events. 

These are REAL RISKS I believe that need to be addressed PROACTIVELY - before we get into the election (or even referendum cycle). 

"A well-timed and thoughtfully scripted deepfake or series of deepfakes could tip an election, spark violence in a city primed for civil unrest, bolster insurgent narratives about an enemy's supposed atrocities, or exacerbate political divisions in a society. With believable fake videos in circulation, people can choose to believe whatever version or narrative that they want, and that's a real concern."

- Professors Danielle Citron - University of Maryland and Robert Chesney - University of Texas

Scientists are working on technologies to detect deep fakes - but it may not be reliable (or available in Africa). Detection may also not be a practical solution after a video goes viral and leads to chaos.

"It's more important to disrupt the process than to analyse the videos. An  important way to deal with deepfakes is to INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS, making people more skeptical of what used to be considered incontrovertible proof." 

- Professor Siwei Lyu - State University of New York at Albany

TECH BREAK: Misinformation woes could multiply with 'deepfake'

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TECH BREAK: Misinformation woes could multiply with 'deepfake'

Deepfake videos are becoming more sophisticated due to advances in artificial intelligence.
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