Google in a campaign to curb hate speech during elections

Nairobi, Kenya: Google together with other stakeholders has launched Web Games - an international competition that will galvanise a cohort of internet safety advocates to inspire Kenyans to be more considerate online during this election year.

The advocates will be youth drawn from two Google-supported initiatives: Webrangers Kenya - a youth online safety campaign started in 2015 that has reached tens of thousands of high school students spread over 26 counties of Kenya, and Amani Hangout Bridges - an initiative supporting the Amani Clubs established in various schools by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission and the Ministry of Education to promote respect and understanding.

“Our priority is to create a positive experience for our users, including young people. Our work in this area includes digital literacy, building an informed and responsible generation of digital citizens through programs such as Web Rangers and Hangout Bridges and building safety settings into our products so that families can make the choices that are right for them,” noted  Michael Murungi, Google Public Policy & Government Relations Manager for East Africa.

Other partners in the initiative include the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), Ministry of Education and Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development and Twaweza Communications.

Election years are usually characterised by heightened political and social tensions. However, by harnessing the power of digital media, young people can be powerful influencers and effective brokers of social, political and cultural goodwill. It is therefore important to build young people’s ‘digital resilience’ - their ability to identify online risks and deal with them positively and responsibly - and to inspire them to be upstanders, not bystanders, in creating a positive online community.

Technology has given a leeway for voices of hate to be exemplified. While a majority of Kenyans use social media for positive messaging, a vocal minority use it to promote hate, extremism and xenophobia.

“Technology platforms such as YouTube can be a force for good. They provide alternative content which promotes truth and understanding; that can drown out content that promotes violence, hate, or fear. The online community can create and find hopeful messages online, not harmful ones, especially during this election year,” added Mr. Murungi.

In celebration of 2017 Safer Internet Day, Web Rangers trained by Google will launch a global action to inspire everyone at the local and global level to make the world a better place by promoting a safe and non-violent Internet. The call-to-action will be the Balloon Challenge in which a student will pick a partner, get a camera ready to record, face one another, write a hateful message on a white balloon and blow it up by hugging. The students are then to challenge other people to do the same and so on. On completion, the video will be uploaded on YouTube and shared under the hashtags #2017Tulivu and #StopBullying.

The country that has the highest number of balloons popped wins the Web Games. Besides Kenya, the Web Rangers taking part in the competition are from: Nigeria, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Czech Republic, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Turkey, Mexico, Philippines and Slovakia.  The local champions for this competition include: Nairobi School, Matuga Girls’ High School and Arya Girls Secondary School.

In his speech on Safer Internet Day 2015, President Uhuru Kenyatta had challenged young people “to be a generation that makes positive and responsible use of the Internet to acquire and share knowledge, bridge gaps between communities and counter the narratives of hatred with love, peace and tolerance”. This is the message that the campaign seeks to amplify this election year.