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Twitter and the Problem of the For-Profit Public Square
by Adam Lane 16 Nov '22

16 Nov '22

Forwarding this very interesting article with some useful links for those who might be interested. View this email in your browser<https://mailchi.mp/rankingdigitalrights/the-privacy-battle-heats-up-1373948…> [https://mcusercontent.com/ed7830a631cca231c4f51ceb2/images/8e503dc3-ba88-d9…]<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…> October, 2022 [https://mcusercontent.com/ed7830a631cca231c4f51ceb2/images/0ec29ad4-335c-68…] Musk's Twitter Takeover: Why the Public Square Can't Rely on Surveillance Ads It’s been less than one month since Twitter officially became the plaything of billionaire Elon Musk. In that time, the company that topped our 2022 Scorecard has gone a long way toward unraveling much of the work that recently earned it our top spot. In other words, Musk has already proven our worst fears about his management of the platform. A decade ago, many in the top echelons of Twitter saw the platform as the “free speech wing of the free speech party<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…>.” Yet, since then, the company made a concerted effort to improve both its enforcement of rules and its transparency. A lot of this seems out the window<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…> now. For one, Musk has gotten rid of the entire human rights team and other experts on international human rights standards. Twitter, like other platforms, had in place<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…> a practice of pushing back against calls for violence from government actors and their attempts to block content. Twitter’s ability to do both these things is severely curtailed. Musk also introduced an $8 fee for "verification" that many worried<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…> could imperil the work of journalists and activists. This new feature was paused<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…> on Friday after an immediate proliferation of impersonations of high-profile accounts. On the platform in question, RDR’s Jan Rydzak has a must-read thread<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…> on these and other ways Musk is already turning Twitter into a paragon of “pay-for-play anarchy.” Is a boycott from advertisers, Twitter’s real customers, now the only way to hold the “Chief Twit” accountable for respecting democracy and human rights? This is the question RDR’s Policy Director Nathalie Maréchal asks in a piece<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…> for our home institution, New America. Unfortunately, that may just be the case. That’s why RDR has joined more than 60 other civil society groups in calling on Twitter advertisers to demand that Musk #StopToxicTwitter<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…>. But if advertisers have that kind of power, that’s only because the system is rotten. At the heart of the problem, Nathalie points out, is that a profit-seeking entity dependent on advertising revenues can never be a truly democratic digital public square. This is true whether or not Musk decides to run Twitter with profit in mind, or by enacting his own murky concept of “freedom,” in other words his own personal whims. (We’ve already seen<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…> that parodies of Musk seemingly aren’t protected by his version of the First Amendment.) Social media companies are thus “trying to square an impossible circle”: provide what billions of people have come to see as an essential public service while delivering returns to shareholders. And taking Twitter private won’t free the company of this issue: Repaying the banks who underwrote the sale could cost<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…> up to $1 billion a year, The New York Times has reported. As Nathalie explains, and as RDR has pointed out<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…> time and time again, any business that relies on pervasive and sustained human rights violations will only foster more abuse. And this is very much the case with surveillance advertising. Algorithms optimized to make sure users click as much as possible, to see as many ads as possible, necessarily lead to a major decline in the quality of our information. Yet, moderating content at scale in a responsible way is extraordinarily expensive, and the money has to come from somewhere. For this reason, RDR will be watching with a close eye the seeming mass migration from Twitter to Mastodon<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…>. Might Musk’s disastrous first days as Twitter head be the spark that pushes us to seek out new more democratized and decentralized communications systems? And if so, what new business models will emerge to fund them? Only time will tell. For now, read more from Nathalie about “The Dangers of Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover and a For-Profit Digital Public Square.” →<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…> [https://mcusercontent.com/ed7830a631cca231c4f51ceb2/images/1ab40d47-c8d2-a4…] Ranking Digital Rights is an independent research program at New America that promotes human rights by ranking the world’s most powerful digital platforms and telecommunications companies on their policies and practices affecting users’ freedom of expression and privacy. Journalists/Producers: If you would like to speak to an expert on corporate accountability regarding privacy, freedom of expression, or governance, please reach out to comms[at]rankingdigitalrights.org Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…> to get your own copy. [Website]<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…> [Twitter]<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…> [YouTube]<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…> [LinkedIn]<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…> RDR Privacy Policy<https://rankingdigitalrights.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed7830a631c…>

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Re: [kictanet] KICTANet Digest, Vol 177, Issue 12
by Adrian Teri 16 Nov '22

16 Nov '22

Sarit Centre you say. Wonder if the young fella on brand is also being compensated on those same tokens... Meanwhile, the rest of the world is going through a cryptocurrency *extinction*. You read that right. Not a *"Winter"* but an *extinction*! Are #Kenyans the IE of internet browsers? Regards, Adrian Teri ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Mwendwa Kivuva <Kivuva(a)transworldafrica.com> > To: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Cc: > Bcc: > Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2022 20:23:48 +0300 > Subject: [kictanet] World coin collecting biometrics of Kenyans > Have you heard of World Coin? What is the value of your iris scan? World > Coin scans the iris of the public in exchange of the WorldCoin > cryptocurrency. I came across them at Sarit Center today. Is this legal? > Has Kenyan government and Office of the Data Protection Commissioner given > then the go ahead to mass scan the biometrics of Kenyans? > > According to the project’s team, around 30 orbs that can scan people’s > eyes and create a unique identifier are located all across the world. > Worldcoin orbs can be found in France, Sudan, Indonesia, Kenya, and Chile. > Worldcoin’s orbs are maintained by “Orb Operators” who get rewarded for > soliciting potential Worldcoin participants. Depending on when the person > got in on the project, token recipients can get between $10 and $200 worth > of the digital asset worldcoin (WC). > > The popular whistleblower Edward Snowden scorned Sam Altman’s Worldcoin > intro tweet as well. “This looks like it produces a global (hash) database > of people’s iris scans (for ‘fairness’), and waves away the implications by > saying ‘we deleted the scans,’” Snowden said. “Yeah, but you save the > *hashes* produced by the scans. Hashes that match *future* scans. Don’t > catalogue eyeballs,” Snowden added. > > > https://news.bitcoin.com/iris-scanning-worldcoin-idea-fuels-objections-from… >

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World coin collecting biometrics of Kenyans
by Mwendwa Kivuva 16 Nov '22

16 Nov '22

Have you heard of World Coin? What is the value of your iris scan? World Coin scans the iris of the public in exchange of the WorldCoin cryptocurrency. I came across them at Sarit Center today. Is this legal? Has Kenyan government and Office of the Data Protection Commissioner given then the go ahead to mass scan the biometrics of Kenyans? According to the project’s team, around 30 orbs that can scan people’s eyes and create a unique identifier are located all across the world. Worldcoin orbs can be found in France, Sudan, Indonesia, Kenya, and Chile. Worldcoin’s orbs are maintained by “Orb Operators” who get rewarded for soliciting potential Worldcoin participants. Depending on when the person got in on the project, token recipients can get between $10 and $200 worth of the digital asset worldcoin (WC). The popular whistleblower Edward Snowden scorned Sam Altman’s Worldcoin intro tweet as well. “This looks like it produces a global (hash) database of people’s iris scans (for ‘fairness’), and waves away the implications by saying ‘we deleted the scans,’” Snowden said. “Yeah, but you save the *hashes* produced by the scans. Hashes that match *future* scans. Don’t catalogue eyeballs,” Snowden added. https://news.bitcoin.com/iris-scanning-worldcoin-idea-fuels-objections-from…

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Invitation to Paradigm Initiative's Exclusive Movie Premiere at IGF in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa
by Judith Ogutu 15 Nov '22

15 Nov '22

Greetings from Paradigm Initiative, We invite you to join us for the exclusive premiere of our Short Film titled *Finding Diana* on *Wednesday*, *November 30th, 2022,* at *Radisson Blu Hotel* in *Addis Ababa, Ethiopia*. The movie will be screened on the sidelines of this year's Internet Governance Forum (#IGF2022) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Kindly register your availability with us. Below is an RSVP link: 👉 *https://bit.ly/ShortFIlmRSVP <https://bit.ly/ShortFIlmRSVP> * Kind Regards Judith Ogutu Communications Manager [image: Logo] <https://paradigmhq.org/> Paradigm Initiative Ambank House, 12th Floor Nairobi, Kenya t: +254 721259193 m: 0721259193 e: judith.ogutu(a)paradigmhq.org www.paradigmhq.org [image: Facebook icon] <https://web.facebook.com/ParadigmHQ> [image: LinkedIn icon] <https://ng.linkedin.com/company/paradigmhq> [image: Twitter icon] <https://twitter.com/ParadigmHQ> [image: Youtube icon] <https://www.youtube.com/paradigmhq> [image: Instagram icon] <https://www.instagram.com/paradigmhq> [image: Banner] <https://paradigmhq.org/reports/> This email is confidential and intended for the recipient(s) specified in the message only. It is strictly forbidden to share any part of this message with any third party without the written consent of the sender. If you have received this message in error, please delete it immediately.

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Climate Change and Tech Research
by Grace Githaiga 14 Nov '22

14 Nov '22

Greetings Listers There is an Organization looking for someone doing research on climate change and tech. Kindly inbox if you are in this area and interested in some gig. Rgds GG -- Grace Githaiga KICTANet Convenor KICTANet portals KICTANet.or.ke <https://kictanet.or.ke/> | Twitter <https://twitter.com/kictanet> | LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/company/18428106/admin/> | Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/>

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How to Participate in #EAIGF2022: East African Internet Governance Forum
by David Indeje 10 Nov '22

10 Nov '22

Dear Listers, The 9th East African Internet Governance Forum begins today in Arusha, Tanzania. This year's theme is "a resilient internet for shared common knowledge in East Africa". Key agenda items include: 1. Access and inclusion in East Africa 2. Role of Policymakers in advancing internet development in East Africa 3. Cyber security policy needs for East Africa 4. Building an inclusive digital economy in EA 5. Addressing digital threats to democracy in East Africa You can participate virtually https://eaigf.africa/ or also follow online. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxZ98O5eh1I -- *Kind Regards,* *David Indeje* *KICTANet Communications *_____________________________________ +254 (0) 711 385 945 | +254 (0) 734 024 856 KICTANet portals KICTANet.or.ke <https://kictanet.or.ke/> | Twitter <https://twitter.com/kictanet> | LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/company/18428106/admin/> | Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/>

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Fwd: // Call for applications / Youth Tandem Project //
by Grace Githaiga 09 Nov '22

09 Nov '22

Dear Listers This might be of interest to our young people. Kindly ask any one interested to apply. Kind regards Grace ---------- Forwarded message --------- Dear Aisha, Grace and Eric, I trust that you are well. After having spread the idea of the DW Akademie youth pilot project during my visit in Nairobi, I hereby send you some more information. Kindly ask* 8 highly motivated young people *from your organisation to apply by sending the *motivation letter* via email as well as the *audio message on WhatsApp, *see more details in the* information sheet* attached. The youth whom you ask to apply should have a keen interest in technology, climate and communication, be open to work together with journalists and willing to learn from each other. Only then will the project be a success. Please note: This is not the invitation to a normal training; it will lead to a hackathon in January 2023 - an intensive weekend where teams create new concepts and/or products - it is a competition, and there will be an award ceremony for the best creations. For the application, kindly forward the *template and the information sheet *attached to the candidates of your organisation. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I wish you a restful weekend. Kind regards, Almuth *Dr. **Almuth **Schellpeper* Project Manager Africa | Media Development DW (Deutsche Welle) | Kurt-Schumacher-Str. 3 | 53113 Bonn | Germany T +49.228.429.3530 <+492284293530> | almuth.schellpeper(a)dw.com -- Grace Githaiga KICTANet Convenor KICTANet portals KICTANet.or.ke <https://kictanet.or.ke/> | Twitter <https://twitter.com/kictanet> | LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/company/18428106/admin/> | Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/>

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Concern: Man charged for using new Safaricom line to get Sh400, 000 from Co-op Bank
by David Indeje 09 Nov '22

09 Nov '22

Dear Listers, This week: “I thought I had won Lotto, Tatua Tatu or Shabiki.com [lotteries] when I received the money, because I had been participating in the betting,” Mr Atambo told the magistrate. He said he had no reason to doubt himself because he had been betting when he received the text message to access the account. Man charged for using new Safaricom line to get Sh400,000 from Co-op Bank | Nation <https://nation.africa/kenya/counties/nairobi/man-charged-for-using-new-safa…>

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Invitation to Attend Public Screening on Content Moderation - The Cleaners Documentary screening and Panel Discussion
by alfred＠kenya.ai 08 Nov '22

08 Nov '22

Hello Listers, Ai Kenya in partnership with Alliance Francaise Nairobi will be holding a public free-to-attend documentary screening on the topic of content moderation. We will have a panel of cross-industry experts for a brief discussion on content moderation after the screening. Much of the content ( text , photo , video) that we interact with on social media platforms are always moderated. The Cleaners is a documentary that looks into the lives of content moderators, and the experiences they go through to ensure that we have a better experience of social media content. A trailer of the documentary can be viewed on https://bit.ly/3Uum85r The event will be held on Thursday 17th November from 6 PM - 9.30 PM at Alliance Francaise Nairobi , Utalii Lane, Nairobi CBD. Get your free ticket by RSVP on https://bit.ly/aikfilm A great event to attend both for software developers , lawyers, researchers, content creators , and any one interested in the topic of Content Moderation. Event is free to attend. Looking forward to seeing you there next week. Kind regards, Alfred Ongere Founder, Ai Kenya Managing director, Mind Intelligence Ltd

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Public Participation: Digital Sound Broadcasting Framework
by David Indeje 08 Nov '22

08 Nov '22

Dear Listers, The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has formulated a draft Digital Sound Broadcasting (DSB) framework. This was developed in partnership with the Association for Progressive Communication and the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet), with support from the United Kingdom’s Digital Access Programme. Our participation is in line with our mission to promote an enabling environment in the ICT sector that is robust, open, accessible, and rights-based through multi stakeholder approaches. The Authority, therefore, invites comments from all stakeholders, including members of the public, licensees utilizing spectrum resources and government institutions on the proposed framework available on the Authority’s website at: https://ca.go.ke/consumers/public-consultations/ -- *Kind Regards,* *David Indeje* *KICTANet Communications *_____________________________________ +254 (0) 711 385 945 | +254 (0) 734 024 856 KICTANet portals KICTANet.or.ke <https://kictanet.or.ke/> | Twitter <https://twitter.com/kictanet> | LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/company/18428106/admin/> | Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/>

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