With the proliferation of harmful content, including disinformation and hate speech both online and offline, it has become imperative to address problematic content to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals and communities whilst encouraging the responsible use of social media.
On 28 to 30 June 2023, Build Up through the support of UNESCO organized a training workshop that brought together representatives of institutions and organizations affiliated with the national Coalition on Content Moderation and Freedom of Expression established under UNESCO Social Media 4 Peace project in Kenya.
The training strengthened capacities of government regulators, fact checkers, and peacebuilding actors to understand the dynamics of digital spaces in relation to the spread of harmful content, content moderation, digital rights and safety for peacebuilding while upholding and protecting people’s constitutional rights. It also equipped and exposed participants with the necessary open source tools and knowledge to effectively track, assess, and moderate potentially harmful content on digital platforms.
Rosemary Mwangi, Senior Content Regulation and Broadcasting Officer at the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) underscored the government’s commitment to creating a safe and healthy online space for its citizens and also outline regulatory measures the that commission puts in place to protect Kenyans. She said:
”It is important that we empower users of digital platforms and consumers of online content to become responsible digital citizens. We need to be alive to the increased challenges of evolving dynamics within digital spaces, such as increased harmful content being accessed by children and also us.”
Bridget Andere, Senior Africa Policy Analyst at Access Now, in her presentation on promoting fundamental rights for a safer online environment to members of the coalition. Stated:
“Ensuring regular assessments, meaningful engagements, crisis protocols, and striving for universal internet access are essential steps towards safeguarding human rights, promoting inclusivity, and fostering a just online environment. I believe this coalition, which is a first in Kenya, will help with this important work of ensuring that we have a healthy online environment”
John Otunga, Africa Programme Manager, The Sentinel project inrecognizing the need to involve local communities that use legacy media and technologies in shaping content moderation practices, emphasized that:
“As we aim to come up with mechanisms for content moderation to address disinformation and hate speech in Kenya, it is crucial that we consider local languages that have long been marginalized in the digital space. Voices of local communities should be considered in the development of these tools by the coalition.”
Leo Mutisya, Manager of Research Planning and Strategy at Media Council of Kenya stated: “This coalition is necessary in the fight against mis and disinformation especially among key players in the mainstream media. Equally, hate speech remains a key area of concern for the Media Council of Kenya particularly when it is spread through these mediums of communication and influence. Mainstream media is equally very active on digital and social media. Through our fact-checking desk, we have been tracking hate speech and misinformation at the same time building skills amongst journalists, editors, and media owners. We hope the coalition will come in handy to support initiatives geared towards building the capacities of local media houses.”
Ms Sylvia Musalagani, Safety Policy Manager, Africa, Middle East and Turkey at META stated:
“Meta actively enhances its policies and works closely with stakeholders, fostering safer online environments and shielding users from detrimental content and encounters. In addition, collaboration with the coalition and Meta will be followed up to see how we can leverage the different expertise in the coalition.”
She further stated that META continues to improve their policies that prioritize user safety by forging strong partnerships with diverse stakeholders, national and regional. Additionally, she expressed openness by META to partner and collaborate with the established coalition to further enhance their efforts in addressing online harms for healthy digital ecosystems.
Muthuri Kathure, Senior Programme Officer, Freedom of Expression and Digital Inclusion at Article 19 Eastern Africa stated:
“As a coalition, we will seek multifaceted and multistakeholder approaches towards conceptualization and designing interventions that will create a safer and more inclusive digital space for citizens in Kenya.”
This inclusive approach aims to harness a wealth of perspectives and expertise to achieve the shared goals in digital peace building to address hate speech and disinformation in Kenya. As a result, various stakeholders established areas of coordination and collaboration towards various activities under digital media literacy, social media monitoring, policy review and advocacy with an aim to reduce the duplication of efforts and siloed work in different regions in the country. The workshop also served as a crucial platform for finalization of the coalitions governing structure, working groups, and memorandum of understanding for ensured operationalization of the coalitions activities upon signing in September 2023.
Social Media 4 Peace
The UNESCO project “Social Media 4 Peace” is funded by the European Union and implemented by UNESCO in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Indonesia, and Kenya since January 2021. It is aligned with UNESCO’s overall strategy to combat disinformation by fostering the information as a public good and strengthening the transparency of the internet ecosystem. The project will contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 16, to promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies and to the UN Plan of Action on Hate Speech launched by UN Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez to combat the online disturbing groundswell of xenophobia, racism and intolerance.
