The threat of election misinformation in Kenya and Brazil
Also, how payment data is being used to target supporters of independent media in India
Hey Checklisters!
We hope you’ve had a productive and fruitful week.
In this edition, we look at the threat of misinformation ahead of Kenya’s August 9 election, how a group of organizations in Brazil is working to keep big tech platforms accountable ahead of elections in the country, and how India’s government is using payment data to target donors contributing to independent media platforms.
Are you working in fact-checking, verification, online content moderation, archiving or journalism, independently or as part of a team within a small organisation? We are looking into the mental health impacts of exposure to content depicting conflicts or violence, or other hateful content online. Want to share your experiences with us? Here’s how you can reach out.
If there are updates you would like us to share from your country or region, please reach out to us at checklist@meedan.com.
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The latest top stories
Misinformation rears ugly head as Kenya election campaigns heat up (The EastAfrican)
Misinformation could likely lead to post-election violence in Kenya as political campaigns intensify on social media platforms, experts at the Global Media Forum warned. At the event in Bonn organized by Deutsche Welle, experts identified gaps that exist in the Kenyan information ecosystem that are making filtration of false information around the election difficult, and this is made worse by the lack of either willingness or capacity on the side of social media platform to put up a robust response to address the issue.
“These [social media] companies tend to react when they see that there is political capital. They have moved to change things around in the US following, in particular, the January 6 assault on the Capitol but we don’t see similar action in other countries and I am worried of what is going to happen in the coming [Kenyan] elections because, unless those companies take further action to address mis- and disinformation, we are going to see potentially much greater violence around elections around the world” — Jodie Ginsberg, president of the Committee to Protect Journalists
Group of 92 entities demands actions from 'big techs' to fight disinformation during Brazilian elections (Globo)
A document signed by organizations such as the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji), Pact for Democracy, Conectas, and networks such as Coalizão Negra por Direitos, Coalizão Direitos na Rede and Observatório do Clima is pushing for platforms to commit to protecting users' freedom of expression and balance it with other constitutional rights. The document, which is addressed to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – controlled by Meta, Google and YouTube from Alphabet, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, Kwai and Telegram, also calls for the inclusion of Brazilian researchers in Facebook's transparency platform and the expansion of Google's ad library so that it also brings together candidates for state positions, and not just for federal positions.
There are a lot of errors in content moderation and the increase in the rigor of application of the criteria must be accompanied by efforts to offer review and analysis of appeal and the right to contradictory" — Statement from the 92 organizations
In India, your payment data could become evidence of dissent (Rest of World)
On June 19, Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of fact-checking outlet Alt News, was arrested on charges of ‘hurting religious sentiments’ over a tweet he posted in 2018. Investigating authorities, through legal directives, gained access to the payment data of donors supporting Alt News from payments processor Razorpay, which has been accused of breaching customer privacy by sharing users’ payment data with authorities without their consent.
“You either challenge it or you comply. There’s no other option available [for Razorpay]. And who would want to just unnecessarily initiate litigation?” — Dharmendra Chatur, Indian lawyer
What’s new at Meedan
Fact checkers and their mental health – research ‘work in progress’
Birmingham City University, which works with Meedan on a number of programs, including Check Global and Health Desk, is researching on the mental health impacts for individuals exposed to hateful and harmful content online.
In particular, the research focuses on the mental health impacts for individuals exposed to video, visual and audio content depicting conflicts or violence, or other hateful content online; the extent to which they’re protected in this work; and, of course, how these issues might be mitigated.
We are currently seeking additional interviewees who could offer time for an interview in July 2022, so that we can develop this into a full journal article later this year. Here’s how you can participate.