Who will protect us from tech intrusion?

The Communications Authority of Kenya indicates that Kenya has over 90 percent mobile penetration, and had 39.7 million mobile subscriptions at the end of June 2016. Google’s Consumer Barometer cites social media as the most popular activity by Kenyan smartphone users together with gambling and adult content websites. A report in Techweez on the State of the Internet in Kenya highlighted that the number of Facebook and Twitter users were approximately 6.1 million people and 2.2 million respectively.

Of these, Kenyans on Twitter have proven to be a strong group for articulating issues dealing with human rights, consumer rights, abuse of office among other issues. Social media, apart from being a medium of freedom of expression is largely being appreciated as a means of disruptive and non-disruptive political participation, articulation, assembly, petition and protest.