Social media platforms have opened spaces for people to communicate, share opinions, and ideas promoting freedom of expression and access to information. Despite this, their business models and service models have created structural incentives to spread disinformation and hate speech.
On 14 March 2023, UNESCO in partnership with the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) launched the National Coalition on Freedom of Expression and Content Moderation in Kenya, under the project funded by the European Union titled ‘Social Media for Peace’. A major milestone under the EU funded project, the launch brought together over 70 representatives from Kenya Government, regulatory bodies, media associations, civil society organizations, fact checkers, academia, technology organizations, international organizations, embassies, and UN family in Kenya, reflecting the multistakeholder approach to the coalition.
At the opening, Ms. Katrin Hagemann, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation in Kenya stated that social media platforms have created vehicles that are abused to spread hate speech and disinformation, creating ethnic division and political intolerance, rather than promote positivity and peace particularly during elections.
I trust this established coalition will come up with concrete strategies that would enable us construct and sustain new solutions to address hate speech and disinformation. I hope the coalition will pay attention to the root causes as well as the drivers, scale and impact of potentially harmful content online, with a view to enhancing the promotion of peace building narratives in Kenya.
Prof. Hubert Gijzen, UNESCO Regional Director and Representative for Eastern Africa, reiterated the need for digital platforms to advocate for good and not profiting from dissemination of disinformation, hate speech, harassment, and cyberbullying. He stated: “If we continue to tolerate social media algorithms, which reward lies, future generations will inherit a world in which truth has been dangerously devalued. We hope that this coalition will play a critical role in filling the gap between the realities of local actors and the digital companies that operate on a global scale for the oversight of content moderation of their platforms.”
He called upon stakeholders to work for peaceful spaces on social media urging them to take the opportunity to reflect, deliberate and propose actions to address harmful content and ensure an internet for trust in Kenya.
Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, Chairman, National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC)
In his keynote address, Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, Chairman, National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), stated the need to work with technology companies to embrace local legal frameworks and allocate sufficient resources to address issues on content moderation and related harmful content.
The established national coalition will work with technology companies to ensure decisions on content moderation is done with sufficient awareness and understanding of the linguistic, cultural, social, economic, and political dimensions of relevant local context.
He further emphasized that coming up with mechanisms for addressing the gaps and weaknesses of current content moderation practices by social media platforms is critical and important for sustainable peace and democracy.
The launch allowed stakeholders to engage and reflect on recommendations prepared by members of the coalition in December 2022 in Naivasha, Kenya. Participants also discussed strategies and mechanisms for operationalizing the launched coalition in Kenya.
At the launch, Ms Aideen Conway, Prevention and Human Rights Analyst, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) indicated that: “There is very little funding allocated for content moderation by platforms. They make big profits off users and some of these profits should be ploughed back into protecting their users on their platforms.”
Ms Liz Orembo, Researcher and Trustee, Kenya ICT Network (KICTANET) stated that: “We should invest more on ground research to understand the needs of users and capture our lingual diversities. This will enable us to understand the different nuances in social media.”
Members emphasized on the need for the coalition to conduct qualitative research on the motivations of users to consume hateful and harmful content on social media. In addition, it was proposed that the coalition should start sensitizing audiences on their rights, local policies and mechanisms that exist for their protection against digital harms and violations.
The established coalition will serve as a mechanism for engagement between local stakeholders and social media companies to create content moderation strategies that are informed by international human rights standards, local policies and contexts. It brings together representatives from regulators, media associations, fact checkers, civil society organizations, academia and international organizations, among others in Kenya.
UNESCO ‘Social Media for Peace’ project is a multi-year funded project by the European Union in Kenya. It seeks to strengthen the resilience of civil society to potentially harmful content spread online, while protecting freedom of expression and contributing to the promotion of peace through digital technologies.
Written by: Sylvia Adongo and John Okande, Communication and Information, UNESCO Nairobi