Mozilla Foundation highlights TikTok videos, including some likening a political candidate to Hitler
Nairobi — Social media users in Kenya are being exposed to political disinformation, hate speech and incitement against ethnic communities ahead of elections in August, with rights groups warning the posts are stoking tensions around the vote.
Kenya goes to the polls on August 9. General elections in the East African nation are often highly contentious and polarised, with many traditionally voting along ethnic lines. They have sometimes been marred by intercommunal violence. TikTok has assigned a dedicated team for the Kenyan elections and is also rolling out products offering authoritative information about the vote, said Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, the app's head of public policy in Africa.“We prohibit and remove election misinformation, promotions of violence, and other violations of our policies and partner with accredited fact-checkers,” he said.
While much has changed in the last 15 years, including the emergence of a stronger judiciary, Kenya remains “highly vulnerable” to episodes of pre- and postelection violence, a report by the International Crisis Group this month reads. Kenya, often labelled the “Silicon Savannah” due to its thriving tech scene, has also seen the proliferation of “disinformation factories” — armies of social media influencers hired to spread misleading political content, Mozilla found.
Makori said the NCIC has identified 83 cases of online hate speech related to the elections and individuals are being prosecuted.Disinformation has spread across numerous popular platforms as the elections approach. Facebook and Twitter said that they are taking aggressive steps to combat disinformation, including hiring expert moderators and partnering with independent fact-checkers.
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