Meta, Facebook’s parent company, is taking aggressive steps to counter the spread of misinformation on its services in Kenya.
Meta is doing this by removing content that could incite violence or cause physical harm ahead of the August 9 general elections.
Meta said Wednesday (27.04.2022) that they are working with their fact-checking partners in Kenya who include -AFP, Africa Check and PesaCheck to review and rate potentially false content on their platforms, label it, and place it lower in their feed to limit the number of people seeing it.
“We are careful however, not to limit political speech since we have a fundamental belief in free expression, respect for the democratic process, and the belief that political speech is the most scrutinized speech there is,” Meta Public Policy Director for East Africa and Horn of Africa Mercy Ndegwa said.
Her remarks come at a time when different political parties, politicians and mainstream media have become targets of fake news as the election campaigns enter its homestretch.
Ndegwa said that the social media giant is also decreasing the risk of “problematic content” going viral in Kenya and potentially inciting violence or hatred ahead of or during the August 9 election by temporarily reducing the distribution of content from individuals who have been flagged for repeatedly or severely violating their policies so that fewer people see it.
The Meta boss also pointed out that Meta’s dedicated teams have also been working closely with elections authorities and trusted partners in countries facing elections to customize its strategies and take appropriate steps to stay ahead of emerging threats and make sure it is prepared long before people cast their votes.
This article was first published by Capital News.
