insert_link Africa AI can make African elections more efficient – but trust must be built and proper rules put in place Election officials confirm a voter’s biometric details during Kenya’s 2022 elections. James Wakibia/SOPA Images/LightRocket By Shamira Ahmed, European University Institute and Mehari Taddele Maru, European University Institute Time magazine has dubbed 2024 a “super election year”. An astonishing 4 billion people are eligible to vote in countries across the world this year. Many are on the African continent, where presidential, parliamentary and general elections have already […] todayJune 18, 2024 9
insert_link Science & Technology Hate speech and disinformation in South Africa’s elections: big tech make it tough to monitor social media By Guy Berger, Rhodes University There’s a growing global movement to ensure that researchers can get access to the huge quantity of data assembled and exploited by digital operators. Momentum is mounting because it’s becoming increasingly evident that data is power. And access to it is the key – for a host of reasons, not least transparency, human rights and electoral integrity. But there’s currently […] todayMay 28, 2024 13
insert_link Namibia ECN addresses mis- and disinformation concerns for 2024 election The Electoral Commission of Namibia has acknowledged the Namibia Fact Check report's concerns about potential mis- and disinformation in the 2024 election. The ECN has thus called on citizens to critically evaluate information, verify sources, and engage responsibly. Here is the ECN spokesperson, De Wet Siluka. todayMay 20, 2024 15
insert_link Health / Medical Cancer Association disputes vaccine-cancer link claims CEO of the Cancer Association of Namibia, Rolf Hansen has expressed shock at an anonymous voice recording circulating on social media. He clarified that neither the association nor the National Cancer Registry has data matching the information in the message. The voiceover suggests a link between mRNA vaccines and cancer cases, but Hansen stressed there is no basis for such claims. todayMay 20, 2024 21
South Africa Social media for sex education: South African teens explain how it would help them Social media platforms can provide safe, accurate and confidential information about sex to teens. Nattrass/Getty Images By Ayobami Precious Adekola, University of South Africa Most teenagers dread talking about sex with their parents. Their parents feel the same way. In some societies it’s considered taboo to even broach the subject. And, even where sexuality education is taught at schools, research has shown that effective communication between young […] todayApril 18, 2024 15
insert_link Science & Technology OpenAI’s new video generation tool raises concerns "Sora" is another giant leap in artificial intelligence. It is the latest tool released by the company behind the groundbreaking chatbot ChatGPT. It can create realistic-looking videos based on a simple text prompt. But there are concerns about what "Sora" could unleash. todayMarch 7, 2024 20
insert_link Lifestyle How AI could change our relationship with religion Metamorworks / Shutterstock Sreevas Sahasranamam, University of Glasgow Science and faith are often kept in two distinct boxes that hardly ever intersect. However, I believe that as AI becomes more mainstream, it will fundamentally alter our engagement with faith and spirituality. Let’s start by looking at what is already happening. Most ancient faith-related texts were documented in papyrus and palm leaves, many of which are difficult to access in the […] todayFebruary 6, 2024 25
insert_link Health / Medical Measles is on the rise around the world – we can’t let vaccination rates falter fotohay/Shutterstock Jaya Dantas, Curtin University In recent weeks a series of measles alerts have been issued around Australia, including in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, after the identification of a small number of cases in travellers returning from overseas. Meanwhile, places such as the United States and the United Kingdom have been contending with larger measles outbreaks. In fact, the World Health Organization reported a 45-fold increase in measles […] todayJanuary 31, 2024 11
insert_link Lifestyle Disinformation is often blamed for swaying elections – the research says something else Alexandru Nika/Shutterstock Magda Osman, Cambridge Judge Business School Many countries face general elections this year. Political campaigning will include misleading and even false information. Just days ago, it was reported that a robocall impersonating US president Joe Biden had told recipients not to vote in the presidential primary. But can disinformation significantly influence voting? There are two typical styles of election campaigning. One is positive, presenting favourable attributes of politicians […] todayJanuary 29, 2024 11
Paying it forward: Kenyan coastal doctor Bashrahil Mohammed Mafudh has made it his life’s work to care for the most vulnerable in his community, at no cost.
