The onslaught on freedom of expression and thought in Nigeria and Brazil
Amid attempts to limit freedom of expression, Nigeria has approved budgetary allocation for monitoring WhatsApp messages and phone calls. In Brazil, tech giants Google, Facebook and Twitter are attempting behind the scene discussions with senators to avoid summons from the COVID parliamentary investigation. On the other hand, a researcher who follows far-right groups in the country has pointed to their 'digital militias' behaviour on social platforms to counter robust debates and that they receive funding from groups of businessmen and parliamentary offices. The vaccination drive for the elderly in the Philippines is struggling to pick up pace with misinformation and vaccine hesitancy as major challenges.
Do check out our interview with Harry Sufehmi, founder of Mafindo, where he explains how a network of community fact-checkers, that includes teachers, government employees, farmers, entrepreneurs and a wide range of people, is addressing misinformation in Indonesia.
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Nigerian govt moves to control media, allocates N4.8bn to monitor WhatsApp, phone calls (Premium Times)
Nigeria's National Assembly has approved a supplementary budget allocating a total of 4.8 billion naira (US$12 million) to the National Intelligence Agency to monitor WhatsApp messages, phone calls and text messages, indicating plans to monitor voice calls or call-related information, SMS, data traffic, among others. This budgetary allocation comes amidst several attempts by the federal government to limit freedom of expression in the country, and critics have stated that these and other similar actions, such as introducing punitive measures in response to content or speech that the government finds offensive will ultimately restrict the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom in the country.
This budgetary allocation comes amidst several attempts by the federal government to limit freedom of expression in the country – an act many have described as a means to gag the media. It comes barely a month after the federal government suspended the operation of Twitter in the country. Lawmakers at the House of Representatives, are in the process of amending several media bills with the aim of “regulating the media - QueenEsther Iroanusi, National Assembly correspondent at Premium Times
Google, Facebook and Twitter act to avoid being targeted by Brazil´s Covid's Parliamentary Investigation (O Globo Brasil)
Tech giants such as Google, Facebook and Twitter are working behind the scenes to get off the target of Covid Parliamentary Investigation. Representatives of these companies have been looking for senators in order to avoid measures negative to the image, such as calling their executives and breaking confidentiality.
"They wanted to bring explanations. I had a dialogue with one of them, but said that, regrettably, the position was irreversible. I think they tried to explain, give information and, of course, avoid the summons,” — Senator Randolfe Rodrigues.
Only 30 pct jabbed: Philippines struggles to vaccinate elderly due to fake news (ABS-CBN News)
Misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines has emerged as a major challenge in vaccinating the elderly in the Philippines. Of the 8.27 million senior citizens that need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in the Philippines, only 29.3% received their first dose and 8.9% have been fully vaccinated.
A Department of Health (DOH) survey conducted between May 16 to 30 showed that 10 percent of 1,014 senior citizens surveyed said they were "not sure" if they want to be vaccinated against COVID-19...Of these hesitant elderly, 19 percent said they were concerned "about possible side effects" of the vaccines, while 16 percent were uncertain about being immunized against COVID-19 due to "negative news about the vaccine." The DOH survey showed that 2 percent of respondents did not want to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Of those who were not willing to be immunized, 17 percent said they "lack trust in clinical trials," 15 percent said "possible side effects were not properly discussed," while 13 percent cited "negative news about the vaccine."
Cornered, Bolsonarists networks are more extremist (DW Brazil)
A researcher who follows far-right groups on social media in Brazil claims that they are propagating ever more fanciful and more hateful theories. Narratives for 2022, he says, are already in place.
For David Nemer, researcher and professor at the Department of Media Studies at the University of Virginia, USA, the scenario goes beyond disinformation, "which has always existed in politics." In what he has been calling "digital militias" behavior, there is the indiscriminate use of social platforms, based on algorithms, to induce choices and reduce debates and freedom of thought — a modus operandi financed by groups of businessmen and funds that would come from parliamentary offices, as he points out, in an interview with DW Brazil.
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A network of community fact-checkers: the Mafindo strategy
From a grassroots Facebook community to one of Indonesia’s largest fact-checking outlets, Mafindo (Masyarakat Anti Fitnah Indonesia / Indonesian Anti Hoax Community) is a growing network of community fact-checkers including teachers, government employees, farmers, entrepreneurs and a wide range of people. In June 2021, Mafindo joined Meedan’s global fact-checking project using the WhatsApp Business API that is powered by Check, an open-source platform built by Meedan. In this blogpost, we speak to Harry Sufehmi, founder of Mafindo, about misinformation in Indonesia and Mafindo’s role in addressing it.