March 26, 2023

TechCrunch: Google removes hundreds of Kenya-focused loan apps from Play Store

TechCrunch: Google removes hundreds of Kenya-focused loan apps from Play Store. “Google has taken down hundreds of loan apps from the Play Store in Kenya since its new policy, which requires digital lenders in the East African country to submit proof of license, went into effect in January. The policy came in the wake of Kenya’s Digital Credit Providers (DCP) regulations last year, which required entities that provide loans digitally to acquire a license to operate from the Central Bank of Kenya.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
March 4, 2023

IFEX: New tool for fighting online violence against women in Africa, positive change in Tanzania and journalists targeted in Cameroon

IFEX: New tool for fighting online violence against women in Africa, positive change in Tanzania and journalists targeted in Cameroon. “Whether private individuals or rising stars like Kenyan Elsa Majimbo, African women are often targeted with online violence. Could Resolution 522, recently adopted by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), push States to address these issues?”

Security & Legal Issues 0
February 27, 2023

Library of Congress: Library of Congress Releases Newly Digitized Colonial-era African Postcards

Library of Congress: Library of Congress Releases Newly Digitized Colonial-era African Postcards. “The Library of Congress has announced the initial release of over 1,300 newly digitized postcards from the Africana Historic Postcard Collection, which depicts life under French, Italian, German, Belgian and British colonial rule in sub-Saharan Africa from the 1890s until the end of the 1930s.

New Resources 0
February 23, 2023

Nigerian elections are crowded with candidates: use this new tool to decide who to vote for in your area (The Conversation)

The Conversation: Nigerian elections are crowded with candidates: use this new tool to decide who to vote for in your area. “The tool, called My Candidate Nigeria, is an initiative that falls under the Africa Data Hub. Its aim is to inform voters and strengthen democracy. The tool helps voters in Nigeria identify candidates for the elections based on their location address.” I tried this and I really liked it except for the “Candidate Biography” link, which leads to an unrestrained Google search. This would have been an excellent application for a Google CSE with a specific set of domains to search.

New Resources 0
February 16, 2023

The Guardian (Nigeria): How presidential candidates pay influencers to peddle fake news on social media, by CDD report

The Guardian (Nigeria): How presidential candidates pay influencers to peddle fake news on social media, by CDD report. “The 10-page report, titled ‘Online operations: Nigeria’s 2023 social media election campaigns’ chronicles the challenge of misinformation, mal-information and disinformation, which it said have dominated social media platforms as the country counts down to the polls.”

Research & Opinion 0
February 10, 2023

Pulse Kenya: Google launches online archive on Maasai Heritage

Pulse Kenya: Google launches online archive on Maasai Heritage. “Curated by the National Museums of Kenya, the online archive features over 430 high-resolution images and 55 exhibits that showcase different aspects of Maasai life, including their language, mythology, jewellery, and rituals. The exhibition is an immersive experience that offers visitors a chance to learn more about the Maasai through audio-narrated stories and to speak and count in Maa.”

New Resources 0
February 9, 2023

Reuters: Nigeria asks social media giants to curb fake news ahead of election

Reuters: Nigeria asks social media giants to curb fake news ahead of election. “Nigeria has asked Google and Meta to control the spread of fake news on their platforms ahead of a presidential election this month, Information Minister Lai Mohammed said on Friday. Nigerians go to the polls on Feb. 25 to elect a new president, with three frontrunners promising to deal with the rising cost of living, insecurity and a slow-growing economy.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
February 7, 2023

Penn State: New AI tool helps provide better care to pregnant women in Kenya

Penn State: New AI tool helps provide better care to pregnant women in Kenya. “When compared to Jacaranda Health’s baseline AI model, TRIM-AI is roughly 17% more accurate at predicting high-risk medical conditions from text messages sent by new and expecting Kenyan mothers, which reduces the help-desk agents’ workload by approximately 12%. Their model also annotated messages more efficiently and accurately than human agents did.”

Research & Opinion 0
February 4, 2023

Russia in Africa: How disinformation operations target the continent (BBC)

BBC: Russia in Africa: How disinformation operations target the continent. “Russosphère describes itself as ‘a network in defence of Russia’. Made up of several social media groups on different platforms, it was created in 2021 but fully launched in February 2022 – just days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The network swiftly gained over 80,000 followers.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0
January 21, 2023

‘That’s Africa, man’: how a young musician captured the music of Rwanda (The Guardian)

The Guardian: ‘That’s Africa, man’: how a young musician captured the music of Rwanda . “In 2018, [Michael Makembe] decided to travel all around Rwanda, visiting communities in remote places to collect voices, poems, songs and recordings of traditional instruments. In five years Makembe has amassed nearly 1,000 different sounds. He is hoping to open an audio museum this year where people can go and listen to them. He also wants to launch Sounds of Rwanda, an online library for a global audience.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0
January 16, 2023

Leadership (Nigeria): Google Debuts Nigeria 2023 Elections Trends Hub

Leadership (Nigeria): Google Debuts Nigeria 2023 Elections Trends Hub. “In support of the upcoming 2023 Presidential elections, Google has unveiled a new portal, the Nigeria Elections Trends Hub, that will provide a platform for Nigerians to search and discover trending interests related to the presidential and vice presidential candidates, parties, and issues through the lens of Google Trends.” I am very interested in this election for two reasons: 1) Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and has grown tremendously over the last several decades, and b) This election is occurring in the midst of serious Silicon Valley turmoil. Content moderation has never been anywhere close to perfect in Africa and I’m concerned social media will seriously disrupt the Nigerian election cycle.

New Resources 0
January 15, 2023

AFP: Deepfake video used to falsely claim Donald Trump endorsed Nigerian presidential candidate Peter Obi

AFP: Deepfake video used to falsely claim Donald Trump endorsed Nigerian presidential candidate Peter Obi. “A video viewed thousands of times on TikTok appears to show former US leader Donald Trump endorsing Nigerian presidential candidate Peter Obi ahead of the country’s general elections in February. However, AFP Fact Check found the clip was digitally altered.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0

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