[kictanet] Regulating hate speech and incitement to violence during elections in Kenya

[Mwendwa Kivuva]

Abdulmalik Sugow and Dr. Isaac Rutenberg of Strathmore's CIPIT have penned
a very insightful piece on regulating hate speech and incitement to
violence.

They go ahead to explain the legislation in place, and the role of social
media platforms to self regulate, develop and enforce guidelines, and the
challenges of letting foreign entities enforce hate speech, and platforms'
free speech rights in the jurisdiction in which they are established,
combined with algorithms bias, because the platforms' algorithms are rarely
optimized for local context or “foreign” speech nuances and customs. An
example is Kenya with over 42 languages, these platforms are at pains to
self-regulate local languages leaving hate speech at the mercy of locals to
report, flag, or downrank inappropriate content.

Then there is the problem of balancing free expression with the fundamental
freedoms of the citizens. Where do you draw the line?

Some of the recommendations are for social media platforms to collaborate
with government agencies like NC4, NCIC, and IEBC, and civil society to
building the capacity of social media platforms’ content moderation tools
used in Kenya and fostering transparency in the conduct of these platforms
to enable oversight. Civil society would also serve to hold both government
and platforms accountable for their conduct. Political actors should also
collaborate with civil society to engage the citizenry in civic education.

Read more at:
https://www.theelephant.info/features/2021/12/10/safeguarding-kenyas-electoral-democracy-in-the-digital-age-regulating-hate-speech-and-incitement-to-violence/
The Elephant - Speaking truth to power.


NB: Excuse typos. Sent on the go via a mobile device.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/attachments/20211211/b95c22a4/attachment.htm>