Tagged: Social Media
Conrad Omodiagbe
Democracy Watch: Uganda Bans Social Media
A couple of days before what is expected to be a tense Election Day, Uganda has announced its decision to shut down social media and messaging apps in the country. This, among several other crackdowns, goes in line with a massive wave of intimidation and repression against the opposition party and its supporters ahead of […]
Asari Ndem
Here’s how Nigerian newsrooms are fighting fake news ahead of 2019 elections
In 2018, the Nigerian Minister for Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, noted that the biggest threat to the 2019 elections was fake news and hate speech. He made this remark during the 47th Meeting of the National Council on Information in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria. His warning comes at a time when social media […]
Asari Ndem
Twitter suspends fake news accounts ahead of Israeli Elections
Popular social media platform, Twitter, has suspended 61 accounts peddling fake news ahead of the April 9 elections in Israel. This brings the total of related accounts suspensions to 343 since the election was announced last year. All 61 accounts involved had a total of 28,041 followers and mostly tweeted their fake news in English. […]
Conrad Omodiagbe
Facebook Looks to Tackle Fake News Ahead of Nigeria’s 2019 Polls
As part of its commitment to transparency, the Facebook team in Nigeria has expressed their desire to fight the current trend of fake news shared across the internet ahead of the Nigerian general elections scheduled to hold in February next year. Announcing this at an exhibition for members of the press and the general public, […]
Conrad Omodiagbe
Fake News and its role in Brazil’s 2018 Elections
According to an investigation carried out by a Brazilian publication, Folha, supporters of the new president elect of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, made use of the Facebook-owned social media platform, WhatsApp, to disperse unverified information about his major opposition during the October polls. With 55 percent of the votes casted in October, Bolsonaro allegedly benefited from […]
Staff Writer
Social Media and Nigeria’s 2019 elections
Social media in Nigeria has played a significant role in how citizens receive information, interact with government officials, interrogate their actions, pressurise them and demand better from them. These platforms have been able to relay the pulse of the nation to the elected officials on different issues as it affects the citizens at home and […]
Henry Okelue
[Interview] Social Media Has Become A Powerful Political Tool In Nigeria
Fatu Ogwuche is one of Nigeria’s brightest under 30. At such a young age she has made a name for herself as one of Africa’s leading experts in elections and election technology. She has worked on election projects in Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Kenya, Liberia and the US. During the tumultuous 2016 US Election, Fatu worked […]