Fake News is not just a problem for citizens in the US. Disinformation on social media has been blamed for fueling violence in conflict zones all over the world. PeaceTech Lab has been tracking hate speech in South Sudan, and has come out with a lexicon of terms that are likely to incite violence.
Read MoreThis report from UNMISS and OHCHR analyzes the right to freedom of opinion and expression in South Sudan from July 2016 to December 2017. PeaceTech Lab Africa's integral work on hate speech in South Sudan is referenced on page 30.
Read MoreCheck out Peace News Network's top picks for peace initiatives to keep an eye on this year, featuring PeaceTech Lab's work on stopping hate speech in Kenya and South Sudan.
Read MoreA report by PeaceTech Lab, operating under the United States Institute for Peace, shows that words that were once used against a specific ethnicity in South Sudan are now being used to target different groups to match the changing context of the conflict. Theo Dolan, Director of PeaceTech Lab Africa, says abusive and dangerous language continues to be disseminated across various social media platforms.
Read MoreTheo Dolan, director of PeaceTech Lab Africa, which works to reduce violent conflict using technology, media, and data, believes words do matter. He says PeaceTech’s research has shown that online hate speech – mainly coming from South Sudan’s diaspora in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia – is contributing to the violence.
Read MoreA report on the use of hate speech on social media and its impact on the conflict in South Sudan has been released, indicating the use of new terminologies to spread hatred.
The report by PeaceTech Lab, operating under the United States Institute for Peace, lists emerging terms such as ‘terrorist’ to make attacking comments against ethnic groups.
The bi-weekly reports track publicly available dangerous language found on various social media platforms in order to make connections between online hate speech and violent events.
Theo Dolan, the Director of PeaceTech Lab Africa, explains that the purpose of their reporting is to help mitigate the spread of hateful language in fueling violence on the ground.
Read MoreThe Washington DC based PeaceTech Accelerator has opened applications for its 2nd cohort and it is encouraging Afrikan startups to also apply. The 2nd cohort is set to start with the Accelerator program in Washington DC from 8 September 2017.
The PeaceTech Accelerator is an international startup accelerator program focussed on cloud innovation and dedicated to helping startups scale. The program runs over eight-weeks and it includes mentorship as well as a training part which has particular emphasis on cloud technology to help startups and non-profit organizations scale rapidly and sustainably.
Read MoreTheo Dolan, Director of PeaceTech Lab Africa and Peace Media, discusses the problem of hate speech in South Sudan, how people can take steps to verify and report instances of hate speech or "fake news," and encourages professional media outlets to report on cases of misinformation.
Read MoreThe new season of the popular radio drama for youth promotes peace amidst violent conflict.
Read MoreFrancis first heard an episode of Sawa Shabab (Together Youth), the peace building radio drama, in 2014 when he was studying at the university in Wau, in Western Bahr el Ghazal.
Read MoreA team of researchers from the PeaceTech Lab Africa, created by the United States institute of Peace – USIP, are undertaking research into the impact of online hate speech and how social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube have been used to generate and incite hatred.
Read MoreThis transcript is from an interview conducted by Kibrom Worku of AfroFM News in Addis Ababa.
Read MoreDivisions between the people on either side of the Sudan-South Sudan border run deep. South Sudan’s declaration of independence in 2011 has yet to end the decades-long conflict between Misseriya Muslims and Dinka Christians.
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