Senator Orwoba Clarifies X Platform Regulation After Public Uproar
Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba has clarified a proposed ban on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, in Kenya.
Orwoba sparked controversy during a Senate hearing on Thursday, October 3, by suggesting that social media platforms be regulated to reduce the spread of misinformation and hate speech.
The senator cited the recent X ban in Brazil as an example of how the South American government dealt with the social media platform after it failed to comply with court orders.
“In Kenya, abuse of social media including X to spread misinformation and hate speech continues to be of concern with the proliferation of the internet and social media in the country,” the Senator observed in her speech.
The uneditted video.
— Gloria Orwoba (@gloria_orwoba) October 3, 2024
I know some of you must be used to generate hate through fake news. Nowhere have I stated the ban of social media. #FakeNews for click bait. pic.twitter.com/0iqglQKAMa
She added: “Social media has been used to attack innocent persons including revealing critical information of the victims in violation of the Data Protection Act.”
On August 31, 2024, X was banned in Brazil for failing to meet a deadline set by Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes to name a new legal representative in the country.
In order to combat online abuse and the spread of misinformation, the Senator advocated for mechanisms to ensure platforms like X followed Kenyan laws and regulations.
“The Committee should outline the basic guidelines that the Communications Authority of Kenya and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner have laid to ensure X complies with Kenyan laws and regulations,” she said.
You can choose to be misinformed and be trendy or you can seek actual facts and have an actual impact. My statement demands that all data processors be registered in Kenya and have physical offices for various purposes including curbing crime. (1)
— Gloria Orwoba (@gloria_orwoba) October 3, 2024
The Senator also requested confirmation on whether social media platforms such as Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok were registered in Kenya.
She also advocated for measures in place to ensure that victims of abuse have a place to report social media abuse.
X, which is owned by billionaire businessman Elon Musk, is one of Kenya’s most popular social media apps, with at least 1.87 million users.
Kenyans have recently used the platform to express their strong opinions on the state of the country.
The most notable recent events include a meeting between President William Ruto and Generation Z at the renowned X space.
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Meanwhile, Senator Orwoba has always been anti-cyberbullying, and she once threatened to quit X when it was known as Twitter.
Her most recent comments before the Senate drew backlash on social media, prompting her to clarify her previous statements.
“You can choose to be misinformed and be trendy or you can seek actual facts and have an actual impact,” she said.
“My statement demands that all data processors be registered in Kenya and have physical offices for various purposes including curbing crime.”
Senator Orwoba Clarifies X Platform Regulation After Public Uproar
