"Pollsters fall prey to misinformation campaigns too"

Researchers have not been spared in the disinformation campaigns, as social media users edit their poll results in favour of the candidates they prefer. Tifa Research CEO Margaret Ireri explained that fake polls with her organisation’s logo have sprouted in the run-up to the elections...

TikTok, Facebook and Twitter all said they have set guidelines to combat misinformation. Twitter told the Nation that its approach to tackle misinformation is based on the highest potential for harm, and that it handles it in a behaviour-first approach... Facebook, on the other hand, having history with political involvement as was in the Cambridge Analytica saga, promised to do better. “We take our responsibility seriously when it comes to helping people participate in safe, secure, and free elections in Kenya. Using lessons from the past, and input from a range of experts, including dedicated and local teams within Meta, we’ve made substantial investments to help take aggressive steps in fighting abuse across our technologies, including reducing the spread of misinformation and harmful content,” said Mercy Ndegwa, public policy director, Eastern Horn of Africa, Meta...

TikTok expressed commitment in protecting its integrity, noting that it had a dedicated team working to safeguard the app during the Kenyan elections. “We prohibit and remove election misinformation, promotion of violence, and other violations of our policies and partner with accredited fact-checkers, including Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Kenya.