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Strengthening Design Governance for Safer Online Spaces in Kenya
Online safety has become vital in an era where digital platforms dominate our daily interactions. in collaboration with the National Coalition on Freedom of Expression and Content Moderation (FeCoMo) hosted a transformative two-day workshop titled “Strengthening Design Governance for Safer Online Spaces in Kenya” during the .
This workshop aimed at equipping the participants with insights, and reflections on design governance and regulatory compliance tailored to the Kenyan context. It also enabled participants to come up with actionable recommendations that would potentially enhance safety and user experience on digital platforms in the Kenyan context, specifically focusing on accessibility, inclusivity, content moderation, data privacy, age-appropriate content, and marketplace integrity for online business environment. Practical sessions were also undertaken focusing on co-designing safe design practices tailored to Kenya's digital landscape.
The workshop, held at the Aga Khan University, targeted technology practitioners including software developers, designers, legal experts and tech enthusiasts. The identified challenges presented by digital platforms today included misinformation, ideological polarization and the lack of transparency and accountability coupled with the lack of African contextualization in the development of software. A multistakeholder approach was emphasized as being crucial for effective digital governance through inclusion of diverse stakeholders especially vulnerable groups, institutionalizing checks and balances and promoting cultural diversity.
UNESCO's "Social Media 4 Peace" initiative, funded by the European Union focuses on enhancing societies' resilience to harmful online content, particularly hate speech that incites violence, while protecting freedom of expression and promoting peace through digital technologies. Through the National Coalition on Freedom of Expression and Content Moderation in Kenya, the project engages various stakeholders, including technology developers, big tech companies, and social media platforms, to raise awareness about the need to uphold human rights standards in digital spaces and promote peaceful coexistence in Kenyan society.
By empowering technology practitioners with these insights and recommendations, the workshop aimed to foster a safer and more inclusive digital environment in Kenya, ensuring that online spaces support freedom of expression while safeguarding users from harm.
Through ideation and prototyping labs, participants worked in small teams to brainstorm on solutions for addressing specific digital platform concerns. They created user personas to identify the motivations, frustrations and skill levels of hypothetical users which reflected diverse user needs and challenges. They then brainstormed on the UI/UX solutions to address specific user frustrations. Ideas ranged from the use of different servers in online games depending on user age to colour-sensitive websites for differently abled persons. Teams presented their UI prototypes and received peer and expert feedback, fostering an environment of constructive critique and collaborative improvement.
The workshop effectively provided participants with a thorough grasp of the legal limitations in content moderation and promoting a user-oriented approach to addressing issues within their cultural context. Participants identified and appreciated the need for establishing secure online environments in Kenya that comply with international human rights standards. To cap the event, participants developed actionable recommendations to enhance safety and user experience on digital platforms in Kenya which were focused on:
Accessibility
Alt-text for Images: Every image on online platforms should include descriptive alt-text to help visually impaired users understand visual content through screen readers.
Adjustable Contrast Settings: Platforms should offer adjustable screen contrast settings to improve readability for users with visual impairments.
Toggle Web Animations: Users should be able to easily toggle web animations on or off to prevent difficulties, especially for individuals with cognitive or neurological conditions.
Facial Recognition for Sign-up: Facial recognition technology should be used as an alternative to traditional sign-up forms to simplify the process for users with various disabilities.
Text-to-Voice Functionality: Implementing text-to-voice functionality can assist users with visual impairments or literacy challenges in navigating and signing up on platforms.
Inclusivity
Support for Local Languages: Develop AI language models that support a wide range of local languages and dialects, or adopt language-agnostic capabilities to ensure broader accessibility.
Contextualize User Personas: Platforms should consider different age groups when contextualizing user personas, ensuring content and interactions are relevant and appropriate for diverse audiences.
Content Moderation Tools
Innovative Tools for Local Languages: Develop content moderation tools that accurately understand and process local languages and dialects at scale to better detect and mitigate harmful content.
Fact-Checking Mechanisms: Incorporate fact-checking mechanisms to verify the accuracy of information shared on platforms, combating misinformation and disinformation.
Sentiment Analysis: Utilize sentiment analysis tools to gauge the tone and potential harmfulness of content, proactively identifying and addressing hateful or offensive material.
Data Privacy
Protecting User Privacy: Implement systems to flag content that shares private information, ensuring swift action to protect user privacy.
Access to Age-Appropriate Content
Age Verification Methods: Enforce rigorous age verification methods, such as requiring users to upload IDs or selfies, to ensure that content is appropriate for the user's age group.
Digital Boundaries: Establish and enforce strict digital boundaries between adults and children on co-shared platforms to prevent exposure to inappropriate content and interactions.
Marketplace Integrity
With the rise of social media-based digital marketplaces in Kenya, participants recommended measures to ensure a high-value online business environment:
Merchant Vetting: Thorough vetting of prospective merchants for compliance and integrity to maintain a trustworthy marketplace environment.
Verification of Product Authenticity: Employ technologies like computer vision and machine learning to verify the authenticity and quality of products for sale, ensuring that uploaded product photos match their descriptions.
Third-Party Social Proof: Enable individual buyers and trusted partners to provide reviews and endorsements, enhancing the credibility and reliability of social media-based marketplace transactions.
The initiative was implemented as part of UNESCO's EU funded project "Social Media 4 Peace" programme that focuses on enhancing the resilience of societies to harmful online content, particularly hate speech inciting violence, while protecting freedom of expression and promoting peace through digital technologies.
The (FeCoMo), established under the project, pursues strategic engagements and cooperation with key stakeholders such as national regulators, technology developers and engineers, big tech companies, civil society, and social media companies to create awareness on the need for upholding human rights standards in pursuit of freedom of expression and peaceful coexistence in digital spaces and in the Kenyan society.
