ADISI Cameroun trains journalists and Civil society organizations on Digital Security tools and Data protection

Participants

The world is fast

becoming one global village Connected by the internet and How you protect your data and personal information prepares you for the feature. It is for this reason that ADISI Cameroon in collaboration with Digital defense partnership has held a 2 days capacity building workshop for journalist and civil society organizations on digital security .

The workshop took place on Dec 17 and 18 in buea with the aim of training participants how to protect both personal information and organizational information. Digital security as explained by tech expert Churchill Nanje, refers to tools used to protect data and how you share that data. He equally added that,who you share it with determines how secured your information is from digital threats such as viruses,system crash,hackers,third party and other insider threats within the organization.these threats can be minimized by the use of some security tools like Antivirus software, VPN, and fire walls.All these tools will protect your computer against virus attacks, hackers and any other intruders.

Cross section of participants 

Also, mobile phones were not left out .Mobile phones are part of our daily life and protecting it is essential they can be protected from threats with tools like Trustgo ,Avast,Kapersky . These tools are application which can be bought and installed in your phone to protect your data . participants were also given some information about Email encryption which is mixing up the content of and email into a puzzel which only you the sender has the key to solving it .encryption is important as it protects your information form data breach . 

 It should be noted that your phone, computer or laptop is you and the weakest link to every security bridge on your device is you so being careful with who has access to your information should be treated with caution.

By Amambo Carrey Pride

Combatting hate speech, fake news: Yaoundé Bike Riders Pledge Full Commitment

Participants at the meet up

Commercial motorbike riders in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s political capital have pledged to not only steer clear spread of hate speech and misinformation on social media but actively participate in fighting the vice. 

The bikers took the commitment at the end of a specialized meet-up session that at the Etougebe neighbourhood. The session was orgnaised by a cohort 3 member of the Africa Fact-checking Fellowship, Doh Bertrand, #AFFCameroon under defyhatenow – a hate speech mitigation organization. 

Doh Bertrand, AFF Fellow

It held Wednesday 16 December 2020 with focus on sensitizing bikers on the dangers of spreading misinformation and hate speech which threatens national cohesion and togetherness.

 

Speaking shortly after facilitating the session, #AFFCameroon Fellow cum organizer, Doh Bertrand Nua, told reporters that the training primarily aimed at bringing bikers to light on the dangers of misinformation, disinformation and malinformation as well as exchange ideas with them on how the rising rate of hate language in the country could possibly be curbed.

“I decided to choose biker riders because they are a group of the people who easily interact with people from all class in the society in the course of their daily activities," Doh explained. 

He added that recent developments in the country has proven that bike riders are increasingly been used or manipulated to spread across messages of hate, division ignorantly. 

"They are the most targeted group in every planned protest or strike action in the country...people think they can easily manipulate bikers into violence for their selfish interest," Doh stated.

He said it is on the basis of the developments coupled with an ongoing programme to cojnter hate and fake news in the country under #defyhatenow that he thought it wise to sensitize bikers on the aforementioned topics while going about their daily activities. 

For over an hour, the bikers were aside being schooled on the dangers of spreading fake news and misinformation thought techniques of identifying and verifying social media rumours/fake news, social media code of conduct, ways to stop disinformation and malinformation, how to counter hate language, encourage peace within their communities among others.

Cross section of participants 

Speaking on behalf of his peers, Ngek James, president of the bike riders hail the initiative and lauded organisers for selecting them. 

He and his colleagues promised to extend the knowledge acquired to others within their union and community as well as pleaded for more trainings on how to counter hate

By Pedmia Shatu 

Cohort 3 AFF Fellows- DefyHateNow Set To Move Out of Comfort Zones

By Rosaline Obah

Session with Cohort3 Fellows

Fellows of the Cohort 3 Africa Fact-checking Fellowship (AFF) Cameroon made up of  journalists and bloggers have been challenged to move out of their comfort zones and be of veritable service towards a Hate-free Cameroon. This was at the end of a two-day “Discovery,” session in Douala November 20 -21, 2020.  

While baptizing the 3rd batch  at the end of the session, the Country Director of DefyHateNow, Desmond Ngala, remains hopeful that the media professionals will dare to be different after embracing professional skills  that will enhance their reporting and also ensure a hate-free society. Desmond Ngala went further to encourage the Fellows to work together on issues around fact- checking, misinformation, disinformation, mal-information and hate speech, concerns  according to him, are timely especially with the effect these have had on the escalating nature of the crisis especially in the two English speaking regions of the country that has affected virtually all other parts of the country. “We are here to encourage you all to work together towards contributing to peace in the country through  reinforcing your capacity and how you can shift the narratives not only in your reporting but also online actions in the days ahead,” Desmond Ngala intimated. 

Ngala Desmond,  Country Director #DefyHateNow Cameroon 

The discovery session was an opportunity for  the Fellows and the Association of Bloggers in Cameroon ABC  to  receive hands on introductory lessons on fact-checking, data journalism, fake news on and offline as well as various human and digital technical tools that can help the media professionals to come up with different social media health reports and data reporting articles with mission, to help communities take informed decisions for a Hate-Free-Cameroon.

The training was facilitated by the DefyHateNow team in Cameroon led by Desmond  Ngala with main resource person, Paul J. Kamtnchang in collaboration with  former AFFCameroon Fellows now Trainers and Experts.

Paul Joel .K. Data Cameroon 

According to one of the Cohort 3 Fellows, Shing Timothy, Journalist/Blogger from Buea South West Region of Cameroon, the session was quite challenging as it was encouraging. “ It challenged me to get more inquisitive by leaving my comfort zone and exploring new horizons. Going back, I have been prepared to face the new emerging challenges presented by fake news and hate speech in the country,” Shing noted with optimism. 

Shing Timothy, Journalist/Blogger

To corroborate this,  Bambot Valentine Samgwa, Journalist and blogger, another Cohort 3 Fellow from Buea was positive and said he is now aware of his responsibility to combat fake news on social media and also will endeavour to think and check before sharing information circulating whether on or offline. 

Bambot Valentine Samgwa, Journalist and blogger

Ndi Tsembom Elvis, Journalist/Blogger is presently bracing up for the challenge ahead. “ I must confess is engaging. Together let's fight against hate,” Elvis Ndi on a positive note. 

Ndi Tsembom Elvis, Journalist/Blogger

Doh Bertand Yaounde based journalist/blogger on this note promised to implement the skills and knowledge gained towards a hate-free society.

Doh Bertand, journalist/blogger

Fellows are expected to, in the days ahead get to work immediately, become more productive with the shared vision and mission of the Defy Hate Now family in mind.  It is expected that, Fellows will also put on the garment of transparency, responsibility, accuracy, credibility, professionalism while being proactive  on the social media with publications , working to ensure, tolerance, mutual respect and community engagement towards a hate- free Cameroon and society. 

#defyhatenow is an initiative by rOg_agency for open culture and critical transformation, funded by the German Foreign Office in partnership with UNESCO.

 

Digital Right: Commentary-How your social media appearance can affect your employment

Going about seeking for a job was not as easy before as it is now with technology. Before, job hunting requested that the seeker moves up, down and around town others even travelled distances to get on. Today with the internet and accessibility to job offering sites and social media platforms where opportunities are shared, it makes it easier for job seekers.

Social media sites are greatly used by individuals and some of the applications demand that your social media handles are requested. There are some questions many don't ask when they apply and never get a reply; Have you ever wondered why you miss out on certain opportunities that come your way? Why employers will ask for your Facebook or Twitter handle?

The world is evolving and the social media is part of that world. Our Facebook account ,Twitter handles,Instagram handles etc tells alot about who we are. Whatever we post portrays who we truly are. The pictures and content you publish and share tells a lot about your personality.

I'm not saying don't dress how you wish to but you cannot be seeking for a job in a renowned bank and your fb profile is full of you in skimpy clothes ,You cannot be seeking for a job as a journalist and your tweets seem to always go against every ethics of journalism.

The social media is vast and you don't know who is watching, you don't know who is admiring that social media timeline of yours, you don't know who can recommend you because of a post you made. Do not let people talk you into thinking that the social media is solely for fun .

Mind what you post

Fix your social  media handles

Amaboh Carrey Pride

Tanzanian government stifles the rights Tanzanians by blocking social Media sites on election eve

Internet access in itself is a clear indication of how transparent a government is with easy and constant access by citizens to important government information. Government transparency, is vital for good governance as well as the perception by citizens that the government is trustworthy. However, many local governments suffer from a lack of transparency.

Surfers in Tanzania have been facing difficulties in the use of social media applications ahead of Wednesday’s (Oct. 28) election, days after the state issued a directive restricting text messaging within the country. This builts on earlier legislation outlawing international press from covering developments in the country without local media partnerships.

The presidential and parliamentary election in Tanzania on Wednesday was tense, given the allegations of human rights abuses and killings leveled by opposition politicians against incumbent president John Magufuli’s government. A few hours ahead of the vote, as many as 42 opposition activists had been arrested in the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar. It comes amid claims security forces had killed nine people as protests broke out over voting procedures which opposition parties claim could be used to manipulate results of the poll in incumbent Magufuli’s favor.

Against this backdrop, the most influential and affordable communications platforms in Tanzania were either been blocked or restricted. Access Now and Netblocks confirmed the blockade of Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.

The throttling of social media platforms added to a Saturday directive by the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority under which it ordered telecom companies in the country to suspend bulk SMS and bulk voice communications as well as individual text messages with keywords around Wednesday’s election until Nov. 11.

Tanzania has cited the need to “ensure safe and secure electronic communication services” for the decision to stop bulk SMS messages although Access Now, which advocates for free digital communications, is emphasizing this decision has left “millions without effective communication tools” across Tanzania and ahead of the elections.

Pedmia Shatu Tita 

Social media and the spread of gruesome images

Gruesome images since the wake of violence due to the ongoing war in Cameroon has been displayed on several platforms. While some share for sensitization and awareness, others are doing so to show their might. What burns more is that someone would package these photographs together and that others would share them. Sure, some images are taken by professional journalists on the job, but most disturbing are the amateur snapshots taken by unprofessionals. Trying to horrify us? Not cool. Demoralize us? Done. Perpetuate cruelty? Not okay! Whatever the intention for sharing, we must all know the implications it has on the brain of the viewers.

Social media users must understand the implication and effects of the images they share online asking questions like what about a particular image makes it ripe for sharing? People who are not professional journalists upload much of gruesome content. It’s unmediated and free to stream across the internet. A major problem arises when these images jump outside  their original context. Not only does that practice open the door to resharing false information, but it transports graphic material that had a specific purpose: to energize, enrage, or educate a particular community.

The case of Kumba on the 24th of October is a glaring understanding of this context. We have seen horrible images of school children being killed in schools shared online with these kids lying in their own pull of blood. These images were captured and shared without taking into consideration the effects on the family and other surfers now and in decades to come. The sharing of such images poses so much psychological distress and trauma.

It's time for social media platforms to review their community standards and check if the content spread on this particular issue feeds within the eligibility criteria of their content liberty fronts. But we should avoid scapegoating the big platforms. All of them (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google, Snapchat) are signed up to the European Commission’s #NoPlace4Hate programme. They are committed to removing illegal hateful content within 24 hours, a time period which is likely to come down to just one hour.

Aside from anything else, they are aware of the reputational risks of being associated with terrorism and other harmful content (such as pornography, suicide, paedophilia) and are increasingly devoting considerable resources to removing it. Within 24 hours of the Christchurch attack, Facebook had banned 1.5m versions of the attack video of which 1.2m it stopped from being uploaded at all.

Monitoring hateful content is always difficult and even the most advanced systems accidentally miss some. But during terrorist attacks the big platforms face particularly significant challenges. As research has shown, terrorist attacks precipitate huge spikes in online hate, overrunning platforms’ reporting systems. Lots of the people who upload and share this content also know how to deceive the platforms and get round their existing checks.

Indeed it isn't any bad thing to show solidarity with the affected families but looking beyond the now to see that in the future these memories are not revisited just by a click on the internet with painful images will go a long way to downplay the horrible effects on their brain and mental health as a whole.

Pedmia Shatu Tita

Conflict Sensitive Journalism is not a technique, it is a philosophy and should provide a counter narrative in conflict reporting Eugene Nforngwa of AKPC tells Journalists at a Media4Peace training

Participants being drilled

Gathered for 3 days in a Media4Peace training dubbed "Catalyzing Media for Peace and Justice in Cameroon", some 25 journalists, bloggers, and freelancers from the Northwest Region exchanged notes of Conflict sensitive reporting, Peace Journalism, Fact-Checking, Hatespeech, Fake news to name but these.

These journalists were brought together by Defyhatenow a youth led organization aim at responding to issues related to conflict with peaceful approaches and defying hate. At the opening the country Director for Defyhatenow Cameroon said the workshop aims at strengthening the capacity of media men and women residing in conflict prone societies to use their various handles to promote Peace and de-escalate tension.

Desmond Ngala, Country Director Defyhatenow Cameroon

Facilitating the three days workshop was lead facilitator Eugene Nforngwa of the African Knowledge and Policy Center AKPC who challenged journalists to minimize the negative impact of their work on the crisis and maximize the positive impact of their work on the crisis. He said that Conflict sensitive Journalism should not be understood as a technique rather it should be considered a philosophy that will help counter the narrative of conflict reporting.

Eugene Nforngwa, African Knowledge and Policy Center

Taking into consideration that the mass media is critical in shaping beliefs, behaviors and public policy, Eugene said journalists should be accurate and truthful in presenting their facts. He furthered that violence comes as a result of conflict and that most forms of violence are suffered in silence. He urged journalists to understand the conflict they are covering because a journalist cannot cover a conflict they know nothing about. He mentioned early signs of conflict as being grumbling, change and resistance. With this understanding,  Eugene told Journalists to cover all sides of the story and give room for conflicting parties to air their minds which could bring possible solutions to conflict.

‘Hate Speech’ is is a catalyst for potential conflict and equally a consequence of conflict. Abong Babey Blaise the co-facilitator said ‘the use of certain languages that may appear not to have consequences but gain symbolic grounds, the use of ethno-regional stereotypes or gender tags that create feelings of alienation and exasperation should be avoided by journalists as well as the fact that free speech could lead to hate speech being when people feel they can say anything without thinking of the effect intended or unintended.." 

Abong Blaise Bebey

One of journalism's core principles is information verification otherwise known as Fact-Checking. Eugene said journalists must watch out for who has and does not have the expertise to answer questions in a particular situation, how the evidence was collected, reliability of the source not forgetting to check if the sources have conflict of interest on the subject matter. So "journalists should filter information that promotes hate speech and flame the national debate’’. No one source is right in Fact-Checking and journalists must avoid using anonymous sources when verifying information,  Eugene ended.

Participants at the workshop attested it was an engaging 3days. "The 3day workshop was imparting. I say so because it was timely and the knowledge received will act as a working tool when it comes to conflict sensitive reporting. As a journalist I learnt we should report with facts and precision,Be professional when reporting,cover all sides of the story,always make sure those in conflict have their say.The journalist should be inclusive ,avoid hate speech and spinning." Ndong Carine a free lancer tells Theinsider237. 

Ndong Carine, free lancer journalist

Neba Jerome of the Herald Tribune newspaper said "It was one of those workshops triggered the level of practice in me which made me to understand that my reports can shot doors to portail conflicts. A workshop so enriching that made me to understand as well that there are several sides to a story and with this my attitude towards writing articles change immediately when that word was mentioned. A lot of things like defying hate speech and making policy makers acts rightly. It was a workshop of its and I say attending the workshop for three days was just like an entire semester course."

Neba Jerome, The Herald Tribune newspaper 

"The workshop was a very nice and enriching one. The facilitators had so much knowledge in them that the topics treated were well understood." Tantsn Patience of CBS radio tells Theinsider237. 

Tantan Patience,CBS Radio Bamenda

I left the workshop with so much  knowledge on conflict reporting sensitive reporting, how to report in a conflict zone, hate speech and fact checking." Tantan Patience of CBS Radio Bamenda. 

Pedmia Shatu Tita