Facebook is partnering with nine non-governmental organisations, throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, to raise awareness about its new provisions for internet safety and security. The Strategic Media Partnership Manager for Facebook in Sub-Saharan Africa, Jocelyne Muhutu-Rémy, said her company is ‘committed to ensuring Facebook and Instagram are places for everyone, especially the youths’. She said, ‘That’s why we offer a range of tools on our platforms to give people full control over their experience and work with our partners to drive awareness about the practices, resources, and tools people can use to protect their online wellbeing’.
Muhutu-Rémy noted that ‘on Instagram, we’ve created new ways to help stop bullying before it happens. If someone writes a comment or caption for a feed post that our AI [Artificial Intelligence] detects as potentially offensive, they will receive a prompt that the language used is similar to language that has been reported for bullying. They will then have an opportunity to edit the caption or comment before posting’. According to her, the Instagram Safety Centre (instagram-together.com) is a place people can learn more about the safety features on Instagram. She also noted that the use of artificial intelligence will help identify when someone is expressing thoughts of suicide, including on Facebook Live and Instagram Live.
The organisations that Facebook is partnering with include: Watoto Watch Network, Kenya; Paradigm Initiative, Nigeria; Child Online Africa, Ghana; Youth First Madagascar, Madagascar; Computing and Information Association, Tanzania; Asikana Network, Zambia. Others include: Digify Africa, South Africa; Phambano Technology Development Centre NPC, South Africa, and Diana Schwarz Attorneys, South Africa.
Commenting on the new developments, the Programme Manager at Paradigm Initiative, Tosin Abolaji, noted that ‘technology tools allow young people to access opportunities in the digital space, and opens them to a powerful portal to knowledge, growth, and community’. He continued, ‘But it’s also important for NGOs, schools and platforms to work together to help these young people understand how they can get the best and safest experience from this invaluable resource’.
The Executive Director at Child Online Africa, Awo Aidam Amenyah, also pointed out that ‘the pillars of education have evolved beyond the usual reading, writing, and mathematics to include digital literacy. The support from Facebook to unpack the discussion across the continent about digital literacy and computer literacy helps to overcome the technological gaps and is commendable’.
Source: Guardian
Photo source: Stock Catalog
