Key Recommendations

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.

UNESCO's "Social Media 4 Peace" Initiative

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.