NCIC reports declining cases of hate speech

There has been a decrease in hate content on social media compared to the electioneering period, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has said.

Commission chair Samuel Kobia said cases had dropped since January.

“In the month of January to date, 97 disinformation/fake news, four hate speech, and three incitement cases were identified across social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, WhatsApp, and Telegram. This is a tremendous decrease compared to the previous months, during the electioneering period,” said Kobia (pictured).

He made the remarks during the launch of National Coalition of Freedom of Expression and Content Moderation at a Nairobi hotel yesterday.

Kobia said the commission had continued to observe the use of under-the-table publications, a technique, which aids in spreading misinformation and disinformation.

In some of the cases where fake news and disinformation were identified, he said, the commission had created posts to counter the trend of misinformation in some of the cases and the rest forwarded to respective tech companies for action.

“As much as we appreciate technology and use of social media platforms, research reveals that many countries globally have faced life threatening violence due to misuse of social media platforms,” Kobia said.