Content coverage in local government authority websites in Tanzania: a web content analysis

This study assessed the content coverage on local government authority websites in Tanzania to establish an understanding of their ability to serve as useful platforms for informing and communicating with the public. Specifically, the study has determined the thematic areas covered by web contents, identified the forms and types of web contents, and determined the intended audience and aims of the web contents on local government authority websites. Content analysis was used to determine the presence of certain words, themes, or concepts within the 11 randomly selected local government authority websites. The study’s findings indicate that content coverage on local government authority websites is very low. Moreover, most of the web contents were in less rich media and were specifically for providing news and alerts on current events rather than providing knowledge and complementing experts in the provision of services to local communities. The study concludes that with the low level of content coverage, local government authority websites cannot serve as one-stop information centres. It is recommended that local government authorities should generate more web contents for complementing their services rather than concentrating on news provision. Keywords: Web content coverage; forms of web contents; local government authority websites; web content analysis; Tanzani

Platform://Democracy: Perspectives on Platform Power, Public Values and the Potential of Social Media Councils

Social media platforms have created private communication orders which they rule through terms of service and algorithmic moderation practices. As their impact on public communication and human rights has grown, different models to increase the role of public interests and values in the design of their rules and their practices has, too. But who should speak for both the users and the public at large? Bodies of experts and/or selected user representatives, usually called Platform Councils of Social Media Councils (SMCs) have gained attention as a potential solution. Examples of Social Media Councils include Meta’s Oversight Board but most platforms companies have so far shied away from installing one. This survey of approaches to increasing the quality of platform decision-making and content governance involving more than 35 researchers from four continents brough to together in regional "research clinics" makes clear that trade-offs have to be carefully balanced. The larger the council, the less effective is its decision-making, even if its legitimacy might be increased. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, the projects demonstrates that procedures matter, that multistakeholderism is a key concept for effective Social Media Councils, and that incorporating technical expertise and promoting inclusivity are important considerations in their design. As the Digital Services Act becomes effective in 2024, a Social Media Council for Germany’s Digital Services Coordinator (overseeing platforms) can serve as test case and should be closely monitored. Beyond national councils, there is strong case for a commission focused on ensuring human rights online can be modeled after the Venice Commission and can provide expertise and guidelines on policy questions related to platform governance, particularly those that affect public interests like special treatment for public figures, for mass media and algorithmic diversity. The commission can be staffed by a diverse set of experts from selected organizations and institutions established in the platform governance field

Sound of One Hand Clapping: Information Disclosure for Social and Political Action for Accountability in Extractive Governance in Mozambique

Corruption through opaque public contracts costs Africa billions of dollars in revenue loss annually. Globally, initiatives to address this have centred on information disclosure (ID) but under what conditions does it work to promote accountability in the extractive sector that for a long time has seen its revenue management as being a major cause of conflict in Africa? Our study on this issue in Mozambique reveals intriguing findings, which suggest that protagonists of ID would need to recalibrate their strategies for promoting accountability. The study on ID in extractive governance in Mozambique has found 17 factors that connect to result in citizen and institutional inaction in demanding government accountability. The lessons from the study for policy and practice are that unless there is a link between ID and a government’s reputation, which scales up to the risk of a ruling government losing power, accountability is unlikely to occur when new information is disclosed.UK Department for International Developmen

Elections in digital times: a guide for electoral practitioners

Strengthening democracy and electoral processes in the era of social media and Artificial Intelligence Democracy requires free, periodic, transparent, and inclusive elections. Freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and the right to political participation are also critical to societies ruled by the respect of human rights. In today’s rapidly evolving digital environment, opportunities for communication between citizens, politicians and political parties are unprecedented –– with information related to elections flowing faster and easier than ever, coupled with expanded opportunities for its verification and correction by a growing number of stakeholders. However, with billions of human beings connected, and disinformation and misinformation circulating unhinged around the networks, democratic processes and access to reliable information are at risk. With an estimated 56.8% of the world’s population active on social media and an estimate of 4 billion eligible voters, the ubiquity of social networks and the impact of Artificial Intelligence can intentionally or unintentionally undermine electoral processes, thereby delegitimizing democracies worldwide. In this context, all actors involved in electoral processes have an essential role to play. Electoral management bodies, electoral practitioners, the media, voters, political parties, and civil society organizations must understand the scope and impact of social media and Artificial Intelligence in the electoral cycle. They also need to have access to the tools to identify who instigates and spreads disinformation and misinformation, and the tools and strategies to combat it. This handbook aims to be a toolbox that helps better understand the current scenario and share experiences of good practices in different electoral settings and equip electoral practitioners and other key actors from all over the world to ensure the credibility of the democratic system in times of profound transformations

Social Media and Unfounded Health Beliefs: An Assessment of Participants’ Response to Health Posts on Epidemics

The flexibility of social media platforms has made seamless global exchange of communication practicable. The instinctive first port of call for information seekers, in the face of any new phenomenon, is usually these social media platforms. This study investigated social media participants’ response to health posts on epidemics. The study was designed as a survey. The study population comprised all university undergraduate students in South-East Nigeria (134,000). A sample of 400 respondents was selected from this population. Data collection was based on a 20-point questionnaire, administered to these study units. Findings indicate that there is widespread social media participation among university undergraduate students in South-East Nigeria and these students are exposed to social media health posts on epidemics. Also, these students, generally, place value on social media health posts, and centre their health beliefs on the gist of these health posts on epidemics. It was concluded that the influence of social media health posts on health beliefs warrants prioritizing the strength of these platforms, by health communicators and policy makers, in the quest to inform and influence the health choices of people, especially in regard to counteracting the negative influence of misinformation and disinformation that also comes from these platforms. Keywords: Social media, Health posts on epidemics, unfounded health beliefs, Health choices

Every corona is not a virus

This study is a visual semiotics analysis of Coronavirus memetic humour, aimed at ascertaining the implied meanings of selected Covid-19 related Facebook memes that stimulated virtual discourse among Nigerian netizens during the pandemic. The study adopts Visual Semiotics Theory and Encryption Theory of Humour to account for meanings derived from the presuppositional assumptions and shared sociocultural knowledge which serve as the decrypting ‘key’ to meaning. The ‘key’ activates the appropriate disambiguation and interpretation of the significations in the semiotic resources conveyed in the humorous memes. Nineteen Facebook Covid-19 related memes were selected as a representative sample for a descriptive and qualitative analysis. The analysis is coded into 11 discourse domains based on the related semiotic contents of the memes which include: preventive protocol, media reportage, religious beliefs, health sector, sociopolitical domain, socioeconomic domain, security, science, transportation, relationship and lifestyle to account for the differentials in perceptions by Nigerian netizens. Findings show that Nigerians created Coronavirus memetic humour to stimulate laughter in the rather consequential circumstances generated by the pandemic derived from the humorous contents of the image macros. In the Nigerian social context, the Coronavirus memes humorously instantiate the apprehension and helplessness of a people, and thrive to express protest, insecurity, corruption, religiosity, economic hardship and a poor health system. These, altogether combine as a myriad of the challenges facing a people who consolably devised coping strategies to trivialise the pandemic, while yearning for an inclusive government that prioritises the welfare of its citizens.

Developing a framework for e-commerce privacy and data protection in developing nations: a case study of Nigeria

The emergence of e-commerce has brought about many benefits to a country s economy and individuals, but the openness of the Internet has given rise to misuse of personal data and Internet security issues. Therefore, various countries have developed and implemented cyber-security awareness measures to counter this. However, there is currently a definite lack in this regard in Nigeria, as there are currently, little government-led and sponsored Internet security awareness initiatives. In addition, a security illiterate person will not know of the need to search for these awareness programmes online, particularly in Nigeria s case, where personal information security may not be regarded as an overly important issue for citizens. Therefore, this research attempts to find a means to reduce the privacy and data protection issues. It highlights the privacy and data protection problem in developing countries, using Nigeria as a case study, and seeks to provide a solution focusing on improving Internet security culture rather than focusing on solely technological solutions. The research proves the existence of the privacy and data protection problem in Nigeria by analysing the current privacy practices, Internet users perceptions and awareness knowledge, and by identifying factors specific to Nigeria that influence their current privacy and data protection situation. The research develops a framework for developing countries that consists of recommendations for relevant stakeholders and awareness training. In the case of Nigeria, the stakeholders are the government and organisations responsible for personal information security, and an awareness training method has been created to take into account Nigeria s unique factors. This training method encompasses promoting Internet security awareness through contextual training and promoting awareness programmes. Industry experts and Nigerian Internet users validated the framework. The findings obtained from the validation procedure indicated that the framework is applicable to the current situation in Nigeria and would assist in solving the privacy and Internet problem in Nigeria. This research offers recommendations that will assist the Nigerian government, stakeholders such as banks and e commerce websites, as well as Nigerian Internet users, in resolving the stated problems

Transnational Organised Crime and Illicit Financial Flows: Nigeria, West Africa and the Global North

This study addresses transnational organised crime and illicit financial flows in Nigeria, West Africa and the Global North (i.e. Europe). Based on extensive documentary analysis and expert interviews conducted in the four countries (i.e. Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and the Gambia). It reveals the contemporary changes of organised crime in a global context. Having outlined the dynamics of global transnational organised crime, the study examines three specific organised crime groups in Nigeria. These are; human trafficking; drug trafficking and advance fee fraud (AFF) cybercrime related. Having considered the phenomenon of organised crime and its contemporary problems in Nigeria, the study turns to an evaluation of the regime against money laundering from a global perspective. It assesses some relevant global initiatives and instruments which combat the proceeds of organised crime in West Africa and Nigeria. The study introduces the conceptual frameworks using the rational choice theory to ‘frame’ organised crime offenders from Nigeria and the author uses Value, Accessability and Transaction (VAT) Model to explain the routine activities of the rational criminal actors from Nigeria before considering the anti-money laundering framework (i.e. the Financial Action Task Force 40 Recommendations) as the instruments to decrease the risk of organised crime financial transactions within the global jurisdictions. The exploration of cybernetics in this study offers a scientific model called AntiMoney Laundering Transaction Validation Model with aim of providing a solution which strengthens the effectiveness of the anti-money laundering (AML, hereinafter) regimes in Nigeria, developing economies and globally. Finally, the thesis concludes that those international initiatives, recommendations and the instruments of soft-laws from developed countries to combat the illicit financial flows of organised crime in developing economies cannot be effective without providing solutions to the impediments affecting the curbing of illicit financial flows from organised crime in developing countries, such as Nigeria