Nipate
Forum => Kenya Discussion => Topic started by: Gikomba_Hawker on September 14, 2021, 06:10:21 AM
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This research examines how Kenyan journalists, judges, and other members of civil
society are facing coordinated disinformation and harassment campaigns on Twitter —
and that Twitter is doing very little to stop it. The research provides a grim window into
the booming and shadowy industry of Twitter influencers for political hire here in Kenya.
Inside the shadowy world of disinformation for hire in Kenya
https://assets.mofoprod.net/network/documents/Report_Inside_the_shadowy_world_of_disinformation_for_hire_in_Kenya_5._hcc.pdf
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These are the sentences, taken from various parts of the report, that caught my attention:
These campaigns are increasingly targeting individuals. No longer focusing on just broad
issues and events, disinformation campaigns are increasingly targeting individuals,
like members of the Linda Katiba movement and the Kenyan judiciary. This work is also
beginning to border on incitement, which is against Kenyan law
This is a lucrative, well-oiled machine with very clear targets
and as a result it is chilling good faith activism. Twitter’s features are being exploited
to achieve the goals of these campaigns. Its trending algorithm is amplifying these
campaigns and accounts verified by the platform are complicit in leading these attacks.
The goal of these campaigns is to exhaust critical thinking and poison the information
environment by annihilating truth.
Recently, however, we were informed that as the work they do has gotten much more
sensitive, they are increasingly identifying and targeting individuals. Their work is also
beginning to border on incitement which is against Kenyan Law. As a result, they are
being sent briefs individually so as to cover their tracks better.
Inauthentic amplification also served the goal of getting the hashtags to trend on Twitter.
It improved the odds that people saw them. Another influencer, who participated in the
campaigns (but did not wish to be named), also informed us that many of the tweets in
these hashtags were amplified by other sock puppet accounts. The aim is to trick people
into thinking that these opinions are popular. This type of inauthentic engagement
borrows from an age-old strategy. It is the online equivalent of many Kenyan politicians’
long standing tradition of paying crowds to show up at political rallies to create the
appearance of popularity. Retweets, however, are much easier to obtain.
However, they do have an effect on how Twitter users interact with
their information environment. The goal of such operations is to overwhelm. It is to
create an environment where nobody knows what is true or false anymore. Their job is
to exhaust critical thinking and annihilate truth.
All this is leading to self censorship by some of the activists who use the platform. Many
feel it’s pointless to use a platform that can’t deliver any meaningful engagement. One
activist we spoke to said she significantly reduced her Twitter activity thanks to all the
trolling she experienced.
To many Kenyans, Twitter matters. The platform is a very important avenue of expression
and information for them. It is also an important avenue of citizen accountability and
#KOT (Kenyans on Twitter) is one of Africa’s loudest and most lively internet communities.
Whereas Twitter was once considered a partner to Kenyan citizens by enabling freedom
of expression, some of its features are being exploited for authoritarian purposes.
Political actors are using it to try to control political narratives by poisoning the
information environment and harassing dissenting voices. The hashtag campaigns we
have highlighted are clear examples of this.
...In Nigeria, Buzzfeed news reported on how accounts were being
used to drum up support for a Colombian drug dealer. Additionally, in 2018, a report
by Portland Africa showed that bots were becoming increasingly prevalent in trying to
sway opinion in African elections. In 10 elections across nine African countries between
2017 and 2018, bots were seen as important vehicles for spreading misinformation and
furthering negative narratives about major issues. Kenya itself underwent an extensive
disinformation campaign at the hands of Cambridge Analytica. Cambridge Analytica
may be no more, but Kenya’s ruling class seems to have learned something from them.
Their campaign in 2017 contributed to a poisonous electoral environment. It was an
election season that saw sections of Kenyans cheering as police brutalized protestors
during post election skirmishes in the country.
The overall message this sends is that it’s okay to sow hate on the platform, so long as
its owners can place ads next to the content and make money from it.
As Kenya heads to its elections in 2022, the activity we have highlighted in the pro
BBI campaigns is likely to be heightened in terms of frequency and their use of violent,
targeted rhetoric. Politicians’ playbook in the next elections will be no different from
what they’ve done in the past. They will seek to divide Kenyans along tribal lines. Demand
for these services will therefore increase and many political parties will seek them out
as part of their campaign strategies. Tensions in Kenya are indeed rising and Twitter
needs to pay attention to how their platform is serving political motives in the country.
If they don’t however, it’s quite possible Twitter could have blood on its hands for what
they allowed to fester within their platform.