The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) will not stop until the internet rules are tougher. This, the commission said, will discourage the misuse of social media and curtail the spread of hate speech.
The Director General of the Commission, Francis Wangusi said the regulations are at an advanced stage in consultation with stakeholders.
“The social media has become platform for terrorists and their sympathisers to glorify their cowardly acts of killing,” he said.
Not very long, some bloggers and journalists have been accused of using the social media to spread malice or contravene court rules by sharing ‘classified information.’
This was said in light of the individual who exposed an International Criminal Court witness against the rules prompting the court to issue a stern warning. One blogger is said to have been prosecuted in court over alleged defamation and spread of hate speech.
Wangusi also said the recent Westgate Mall terrorist attack exposed the weaknesses that comes with uncontrolled social media.
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After the attack, Al Shabaab updated its account to claim responsibility. A picture of a mistaken identity was also circulated by some bloggers claiming it was of wanted Al Shabaab millitant but it turned out the woman was only a victim in the attack.
The terror group which has links to the infamous Al Qaeda has been issuing threats to Kenya via the social media since Kenya Defence Forces entered Somali to fight it off.
In the attack on Saturday 21st September, 2013 where over 60 Kenyans were killed, CCK lost a Director of the Board, Mr. Peter Ldhituachi Simani. Simani was a Director of the CCK Board since his appointment in February 2011.
Wangusi said the Nairobi forum will consider recommending that individual countries be given right of IP hosting to enable them regulate Internet use.
The questions that would come into any persons head regarding this announcement would be; will cutting down on some of the priorities in Social Media really do much? If we had tightened them before would we really know who took responsibility of the terror attack and don’t you think it’s wise to know what your enemy is doing? How far will they tighten the laws, we are hope that it will not go as far as breaching the freedom of expression law? If only CCK could answer this questions.
