On 1/29/19, Patrick A. M. Maina <pmaina2000@yahoo.com> wrote:
>  Thanks Barrack,
> That is a good start but I am afraid it sounds woefully inadequate.
> Fake news has greatest impact in "mashinani" (grassroots) i.e. low income
> areas, informal settlements, remote villages, and upcountry as they are
> highly volatile and prone to ethnic/political mobilisation.
> What percentage of the 45 Million Kenyans were reached? Was data collected
> in all counties on the state of fake-news awareness (before / after) to
> gauge program effectiveness?
> Then there are the new developments... What percentage of Kenyans know about
> deep fakes (AI synthesised fake videos)?
>
> Public awareness needs a coordinated *mass media* and *grassroots* campaign.
> It has to be sustained for several years until fully absorbed into the
> education curriculum.
>
> KICTANET cannot afford to do this and should not be the driver. Public
> awareness for National Security is squarely a *Government responsibility* -
> with KICTANET role being to push/lobby for meaningful approach / action by
> Government.
> The other area that KICTANET can push is for the legislation of technical
> measures to reduce virality potential of fake news. Platforms must be held
> partially responsible for damages/losses caused by fake news just as
> publishers are held responsible for publishing libel, for example.
> Let's remember most of these global platforms have very little stake in our
> security or stability (they don't have significant physical ties to
> Kenya/Africa that would truly make them care e.g. how many of the top
> FB/Telegram/Twitter shareholders live in Kenya with their families?). If
> Kenya burns, they will simply relocate their skeleton team to another
> country in Africa and continue business as usual.
> Worse, multinational Big tech are notorious tax avoiders, profit
> repatriators and economic disruptors (they *steal* valuable attention from
> our paid workers - diverting millions if not BILLIONS of shillings away from
> our economy - it's amazing employers haven't sued social media platforms
> yet!) and , so the risks some of them add to society is grossly
> disproportionate to their economic contribution. This is why EU (including
> UK), India, Singapore, China and Russia are getting tough on them!
> Patrick.
>
>    On Tuesday, January 29, 2019, 7:51:26 AM GMT+3, Barrack Otieno
> <otieno.barrack@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>  Hi Patrick,
> You may not have joined the list but KICTANet and other local partners such
> as CIPIT , BAKE and the NCIC have made efforts to sensitize the Public on
> Fake News. KICTANet in partnership with NCIC actually hosted a workshop at
> the Stanley Hotel on Fake news in September 2017. Another policy brief
> touching on information controls was produced just before the elections.You
> can find the Policy briefs on the KICTAnet website.
> Best
> On 29 Jan 2019 06:11, "Patrick A. M. Maina via kictanet"
> <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>
> I pray that Government officials on this list will take the AFP article
> below seriously. The technologies described in the article are real and
> could be used to radicalize ignorant youth or to spark chaos e.g. during
> political transition events.
>
> These are REAL RISKS I believe that need to be addressed PROACTIVELY -
> before we get into the election (or even referendum cycle).
>
> "A well-timed and thoughtfully scripted deepfake or series of deepfakes
> could tip an election, spark violence in a city primed for civil unrest,
> bolster insurgent narratives about an enemy's supposed atrocities, or
> exacerbate political divisions in a society. With believable fake videos in
> circulation, people can choose to believe whatever version or narrative that
> they want, and that's a real concern."
>
> - Professors Danielle Citron - University of Maryland and Robert Chesney -
> University of Texas
>
> Scientists are working on technologies to detect deep fakes - but it may not
> be reliable (or available in Africa). Detection may also not be a practical
> solution after a video goes viral and leads to chaos.
>
> "It's more important to disrupt the process than to analyse the videos. An
> important way to deal with deepfakes is to INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS, making
> people more skeptical of what used to be considered incontrovertible proof."
>
>
> - Professor Siwei Lyu - State University of New York at Albany
>
>
> TECH BREAK: Misinformation woes could multiply with 'deepfake'
>
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> TECH BREAK: Misinformation woes could multiply with 'deepfake'
>
> Deepfake videos are becoming more sophisticated due to advances in
> artificial intelligence.
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