Mashada.com imefungwa....Crackdown on hate speech blogs.

[Ab-Titchaz]

Guest | January 30, 2013

Kenya's top Web-based forum Mashada has become the first victim in the push by the government to crackdown on bloggers, social media and websites spreading ethnical acrimony ahead of the March 4 general election in the country, with reports indicating a number of bloggers could soon be prosecuted.

A new study by Umati Initiative - a project by iHub Research, World policy Institute and Ushahidi - indicates that Mashada.com is a major online forum used by Kenyans in spreading hate speech.

According to Umati Initiative, which is also carrying out a study on the effect of hate speech online, its initial results indicate that Kenyans are attacking each other online on the basis of tribe, gender, religion, politics and sexual orientation.

"Anecdotal evidence from the 2007/2008 cycle suggested that online media played a major role in the post election violence period. However, with no systematic monitoring of the online space at that time, we could not therefore track the trends," the report said.

"This time around, we wanted to ensure that we captured the trending topics phrases and sentiments online well in advance of the election."

Prof. Susan Benesch of the World Policy Institute and American University in Washington DC, further warns that hate speech online has potential to escalate election violence.

The shutdown of Mashada forums, known for bringing people of various political views together, is however expected to elicit acrimony from human rights groups who are likely to perceive the action as a clampdown on the freedom of expression and information.

Already, a Nairobi-based lawyer has questioned the legality of online monitoring by the government, saying the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) and the Ministry of Information and Communication lacked legal backing, a fact confirmed by the director of public communications and secretary of the national steering committee on media monitoring Mary Ombara.

Ombara had however maintained that anarchy could not be allowed on social media and that the committee was tackling hate speech using the National Cohesion and Integration Act.

Once the Umati Initiative is complete, the iHub project is expected to be the world's first collection of hate speech archives and data.

The government in the meantime says it is organising training for journalists to sensitise them on the importance of hate speech, in-depth research and interpretation of opinion polls in the run up to the March 4 general election.-Human IPO

Source: kenyalondonnews.org

 

[Father of All]

Good job. Keep it up to see to it that Kenya is having very serene and spiffy elections. I love Kenya save that I hate the way it is raped by myopic and megalomaniac minds such as Uhuruto ciana cia Gihuruto.

 

[EMT]

Mashada ni top web forum in Kenya?

 

[Idimi]

Ni mara ya pili wanafungiwa hawa. Mwaka 2007 pia walifungiwa, baada ya baadhi ya Wakenya wasio wastaarabu kuanza kupost ubaguzi wa kikabila, kikanda na matusi ya nguoni kwa wagombea. Good job by the government to shut it down, till elections are done.

 

[Ben Saanane]

Duh,mimi ni member kule hali ni tete hata mwaka 2007 nilikua member wa Mashada.ilikua hatari

 

[Elungata]

Huo ni uonevu bana.uhuru wa kujieleza lazima uheshimiwe period

 

[Kibunango]

Baada ya kifo cha kimya kimya cha Youngafrican.com, nilihamia mashada.com... hata hivyo hali ya hewa kule ilinishinda.

 

[Chum Chang]

Duh
R.I.P MASHADA
Lakini watafungua nyengine

 

[Roulette]

Mashada ni top web forum in Kenya?

Yeah, sort of, but sio ya siasa sana. The challenge of user generated content forums ni kwamba unashindwa kujua when to let people express their free thoughts and when you come in for censorship. It is not easy.

 

[Nyani Ngabu]

Baada ya kifo cha kimya kimya cha Youngafrican.com, nilihamia mashada.com... hata hivyo hali ya hewa kule ilinishinda.

Aisee Katya Irina yuko wapi?

 

[KakaJambazi]

mashada = Mchongoano.com

 

[Kibunango]

Aisee Katya Irina yuko wapi?

Mara ya mwisho kuwasiliana naye ilikuwa 2005.. akiwa Bongo... Ila Kamanda unakumbukumbu nzuri kwa visura!

 

[MaxShimba]

It was very disappointing to learn that the forum at mashada has been temporarily closed.
Although I regret what led to that (I believe the forum was left to run with little or no moderation for a long time until it went out of board).

What baffles me up to now is my lack of understanding as to why majority of the so called educated Kenyans in the diaspora decided to stoop so low and be blinded by all the hatred, prejudice and tribalism…

The site was good but I felt there were few people focus was to cause fear, hate and misrepresent information.

 

[mfianchi]

Ni mara ya pili wanafungiwa hawa. Mwaka 2007 pia walifungiwa, baada ya baadhi ya Wakenya wasio wastaarabu kuanza kupost ubaguzi wa kikabila, kikanda na matusi ya nguoni kwa wagombea. Good job by the government to shut it down, till elections are done.

Watu wa Mlima Kenya uwiiiiiiii.leo nimemsikia Uhuru akidai Wa Ameru wasikubali kugawanyika wachague kwa pamoja na wasimwache Uhuru katika wakati huu ambao anawahitaji,anadai tokea enzi za baba yake wamekuwa pamoja iweje leo wamtupe?-Ukabila ,ukabila ukabila

 

[Bantugbro]

Yaani kaazi kwelikweli ndio maana influx ya wasumbufu imeongezeka hapa jamvini, kumbe washatiwa kufuli kule...:A S 100:

 

[kalikenye]

Ni mara ya pili wanafungiwa hawa. Mwaka 2007 pia walifungiwa, baada ya baadhi ya Wakenya wasio wastaarabu kuanza kupost ubaguzi wa kikabila, kikanda na matusi ya nguoni kwa wagombea. Good job by the government to shut it down, till elections are done.

Na inaonekana JF ndo tunaelekea huko kama hatutajitambua mapema

 

[Lwikunulo]

Baada ya kifo cha kimya kimya cha Youngafrican.com, nilihamia mashada.com... hata hivyo hali ya hewa kule ilinishinda.

Kibunango, umenikumbusha mbali enzi hizo....hivi, Kizzo (Gunz) yuko wapi?

 

[Ab-Titchaz]

Yaani kaazi kwelikweli ndio maana influx ya wasumbufu imeongezeka hapa jamvini, kumbe washatiwa kufuli kule...:A S 100:

hehehe....no comment mkuu....:A S 100:

 

[mfianchi]

Na inaonekana JF ndo tunaelekea huko kama hatutajitambua mapema

Kwa sababu ipi tuelekee huko? Wenzetu ni ukabila kwa sana, sisi hapa sana sana ni porojo za Chadema Vs Magamba. Pia porojo za Lowasa Vs Membe/Sitta . kwa hiyo sidhani kuna makubwa na hatarishi mengi kwa hapa JF. Udini nao haupo sana ha pa JF huenda hiyo ya serikali DHAIFU nayo itakuwa ni husuda tu kwani si kweli kwamba tuna serikali na uongozi dhaifu.

Kufikiria kuifungia JF itakuwa ni kutaka kulazimisha watu waimbe yaleyale ya kusema serikali haikosei kwa hiyo isikosolewa.

JF haijafikia huko kwa Mashada.Com. Huko ilikuwa balaa hasa ndugu zetu kutoka Mlimani lugha walizokuwa wanatumia zilikuwa zinatia kichefuchefu ni sawa na wale wanamziki kutoka huko huko Mlimani walivyoimba nyimbo za kumkashifu mtoto wa kutoka Ziwani ni kama kuna mtu anawatuma au anawahamasisha kufanya hivyo .

Jamaa wameshasahau yaliyotokea miaka michache iliyopita

 

[Highlander]

Huo ni uonevu bana.uhuru wa kujieleza lazima uheshimiwe period

Uhuru wowote bila mipaka ni vurugu sana. Kama kuna ushahidi wa matusi kwenye forum hiyo, basi Serikali ya Kenya imefanya jambo jema kabisa. Dawa ya wakorofi ni vifungo tu!