Report – Content Moderation of Kiswahili on Social Media Platforms

This report investigates how social media platforms moderate Kiswahili
content, focusing on Kenya and Tanzania due to their large
Kiswahili-speaking populations and differing approaches to moderation.

Main findings:

The study reveals that Instagram and TikTok are the most popular platforms
in the region, with concerns rising about misinformation and hate speech in
the Kiswahili online sphere.

Three main approaches to Kiswahili content moderation were identified: a
global approach (Meta) applying uniform policies, a local approach (TikTok)
attempting cultural context consideration but limited by primarily Kenyan
moderators, and a multi-country approach (JamiiForums) employing native
moderators from each country for better contextual understanding.

Content moderation vendors often misrepresent the job’s realities, failing
to adequately prepare moderators for graphic content, leading to
inconsistencies and inaccuracies in content evaluation.

The report highlights the challenges of moderating low-resource languages
like Kiswahili, emphasizing the need for more inclusive and representative
approaches that account for linguistic diversity and cultural nuances
across different East African countries.

cdt.org/insights/moderating-kiswahili-content-on-social-media/