Surveillance or Security? Uganda’s Digital License Plates and the Trade-Off Between Privacy and Governance
In a bold yet controversial move to modernize its transportation system, Uganda introduced digital license plates as part of a sweeping technological transformation. While the government frames this initiative as a step toward improved road safety and crime prevention, the rollout has sparked significant and fierce public debate. Beneath the veneer of progress and modernization, […]
Community Fakes: A Crowdsourcing Platform to Combat AI-Generated Deepfakes in Fragile Democracies
As the world moves into the era of artificial intelligence, the rise of deepfakes and AI-generated media poses a significant threat to the integrity of democratic processes, especially in countries with fragile democracies. The integrity of democratic processes is particularly crucial because it ensures fairness, accountability, and citizen engagement. When compromised, democracy’s foundational values—and society’s […]
An Election For The World: The Global South Stakes of The U.S. Presidential Election.
The phrase “When America sneezes, the world catches a cold” vividly captures the global influence of the United States. As one of the world’s largest economies and a dominant cultural, political, and technological force, shifts in America’s policies, economy, or even social trends often ripple outward, impacting countries far beyond its borders. From financial markets […]
When Technology Enables Abuse: Rana Ayyub’s Battle with Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence
The rise of digital platforms has empowered independent and citizen journalism and has offered a vital space for voices that challenge power structures. However, these platforms have also become hotbeds for harassment, disinformation, and orchestrated attacks, particularly against outspoken journalists like Rana Ayyub. Rana Ayyub is an Indian journalist, author of Gujarat Files: Anatomy of […]
‘Ruto Lies’: A Digital Chronicle of Public Discontent
The Kenya Finance Bill 2024/25, presented to parliament on May 13, 2024, proposed various tax increases and new fees on essential items and services, including internet data, bread, cooking oil, sanitary napkins, baby diapers, digital devices, motor vehicle ownership, specialized hospitals, and imported goods. The bill quickly sparked widespread protests across Kenya, significantly amplified by […]
Israeli Gas, Kenyan Tears: Investigating Israel-Supplied Riot Control Agents Used in the Kenya Demonstrations
In June and July 2024, East Africa experienced waves of protests, notably in Kenya, where large-scale youth-led demonstrations erupted in response to the contentious Finance Bill 2024. The demonstrations were part of a broader effort to pressure President William Ruto, with activist groups staging protests every Tuesday and Thursday and calling for his resignation due […]
“You Can’t Fool Us”: Introducing ‘Spot the Fakes’ Quiz
Previously, identifying manipulated images was a relatively easy task since photoshopped pictures often contained obvious inconsistencies, mostly mismatched perspectives(a peasant photo with a supercar background), unnatural lighting, or awkward element combinations. However, the emergence of Generative Adversarial Networks(GANs), a form of artificial intelligence (AI) for manipulating images has birthed a new era of synthetic media […]
Synthetic Media in Rwanda’s 2024 Elections
We’ve all seen them—fake images that depict political leaders in a less-than-flattering light, deepfakes of political endorsements that never happened, or manipulated videos spreading inflammatory messages against important figures. The ease with which this content is created and spread emphasizes the significant impact AI-generated media can have on society, especially in politically charged environments. A […]
It Is becoming Impossible to do Internet Research
Thirty years ago, for a person on the African continent to connect with someone in, for example, Australia, they would have to send a letter that would take many weeks to be delivered. However, these days, connection is as simple as clicking a button. The internet has brought connectivity and made so much possible. It […]
Scammers Target African Journalists with Disinformation on Meta(Facebook/Instagram) Platforms
As journalists across the region continue to face unprecedented attacks on their press freedoms with widespread intimidation, harassment and detention for their work, a new threat looms. African journalists are increasingly becoming a subject of targeted disinformation with deep fakes of journalists’ images being used to spread fake stories and scam people. An investigation by […]