NCIC monitoring SMS, web chatter for hate speech

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission has been monitoring text messages and internet-based communication for any clues of hate speech and incitement.

The Commission said it has been partnering with local telephone providers and government security agencies for about a year now, according to Commissioner Halakhe Waqo.

The monitoring has also extended to Kenyans in Diaspora as NCIC gets tough ahead of the 2012 General Election, less than 20 months away.

It means that the Commission may have obtained several telephone records of people suspected of sending hate messages from local companies with the assistance of the Cyber-Crime Unit at the Criminal Investigation Department.

Mr Waqo, however, assured the phone users that adequate steps have been taken to safeguard individual privacy unless it breaches national security and peaceful co-existence.

“We do recognise that privacy is very important for an individual but public security and safety is much more important. We want to pin down that breach in public safety and security,” the Commissioner told the press in Nairobi Thursday.

The partnership with the police and phone firms that started about a year ago is helping ease the NCIC’s inherent human and technical resource deficiencies that would have otherwise hindered monitoring phone and internet-based communication.

“We have been concerned from our day of appointment that there are various means of communication outside the political rallies and public forums that are used to create public disharmony in this country,” Mr Waqo told the press.

He was speaking after launching of a media monitoring report on the Implementation of the Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation Agenda 4 item.

The report titled Facilitation of Citizens Participation in the National Accord through ICTs was prepared by the Nairobi-based Africa Peace Forum (APFO).

“There is no single institution which can boast of having the capacity to track everything and bring everybody to book in case of any problem unless there is some form of partnership with many other institutions that also have interest, experience and skills,” he said.

Even Kenyans in Diaspora will not be spared by the Commission as it moves to punish senders and consumers of inciting and hateful messages over the internet and telephone.

“It is also important to note that whether somebody is in Kenya or not we will still track. We are also looking at international frameworks and political processes that support collective security systems,” he added.

Earlier this year in March, NCIC Chairman Dr Mzalendo Kibunjia said the Commission was monitoring hate speech posted on social networks as well as commentaries on news websites.

Dr Kibunjia explained that the commission had recruited 40 new staff, who report to the commission in April be charged with the responsibility of monitoring the social networking sites.

The Commission boss also noted that that Kenyans in the Diaspora were most culpable arguing that the Internet had become a convenient forum to advance negative ethnic sentiments that undermine integration.

"Facebook, Twitter and such networks will be our main focus and I can tell you most of the hate speech comes from the Diaspora not internally. But one of the experts who is coming in from April 1 will be looking at this issue and how we can address it so as to stem it," he said back then.

And Thursday, Mr Waqo said the partnership with the unit of CID that handles Cyberspace crime and the telephone and telecommunication system providers has been on for about a year.

“We are working with various institutions, both government and non-government...we are working with government security organs like the cyber-crime unit of the CID. We are also in link with telephone providers and telecommunication system providers among other institutions that have the capacity to monitor and control negative communication,” he said.

The Commissioner said they have also been emphasizing partnership and very close collaboration with the media in delivering the mandate of the NCIC.

He also called on Kenyans to be part of the process of monitoring hate messages and also providing solutions to deal with these challenges.

While phone-tapping would require express authority from a judge, the law is silent on the new and emerging media which has become the fodder for youths and politicians eyeing high public offices.