We are pleased to announce a seminar series on AI, Hate Speech and Online Content Moderation with a focus on trends and challenges in the Global South, with an emphasis on Africa. COVID-19 has led to a rapid acceleration of automated content moderation and a reduction of human moderation. This has been problematic as algorithms have struggled to correctly interpret content leading to hate speech remaining online while other messages have been mistakenly identified as being ‘dangerous’. Furthermore, most algorithms have been developed and trained on content from the global north and have struggled to be sensitive to context, and even more so in countries in the global south where social media companies have been less engaged. These trends may have a particular impact in regions that are already affected by a multitude of destabilizing factors like climate change, political instability and economic uncertainty. This seminar series attempts to offer insight into some of the challenges faced by hate speech and automated content regulation on the continent.

This series is organized by Freie Universität Berlin, the Weizenbaum Institute, the School of Communications at the University of Johannesburg, and the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies’ Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy (PCMLP) at the University of Oxford. We are grateful for the support of the OxBer Research Fund and the ERC.

Conveners:        Martin Emmer • Nicole Stremlau • Giovanni De Gregorio

Location:             Zoom

Online Hate and Artificial Intelligence: A Global Overview

Introduction to the series by Martin Emmer • Nicole Stremlau • Giovanni De Gregorio

Speakers: Leonida Mutuku, DRI Kenya • Sünje Paasch-Colberg, Freie Universität Berlin • Laura Laugwitz, Universität Hamburg • Matti Pohjonen, University of Helsinki

Thursday, March 18, 2021, 02:00 - 03:30 p.m. (GMT) = 03:00 - 04:30 p.m. (CET)

Researching AI and Content Moderation: Trends, Tools and Methods

Speakers: Eugenia Siapera, University College Dublin • Christian Katzenbach, HIIG • Abejide Ade-Ibijola, University of Johannesburg

Chair: Giovanni De Gregorio

Tuesday, April 27, 2021, 11:00 a. m. - 12:30 p. m. (BST time) = 12:00 noon - 01:30 p. m. (CEST)

Hate Speech and Content Moderation in the Horn of Africa: A Socio-Legal Perspective

Speakers: Abdifatah Hassan Ali, CEO Digital Shelter Mogadishu • Iginio Gagliardone, University of Witwatersrand • Kinfe Yilma, Addis Ababa University

Chair: Nicole Stremlau

Friday, May 14, 2021, 02:00 - 03:30 p.m. (BST time) = 03:00 - 04:30 p. m. (CEST)

Hate Speech and Content Moderation in the Sahel Region: Socio-Legal Implications

Speakers: Antoinetta Mutesa, Women Initiatives Network, Netherlands • Romaine Zidouemba, Réseau d’Initiatives des Journalistes, Burkina Faso • Boureima Salouka, Deutsche Welle Academy, Burkina Faso

Chair: Martin Emmer

Thursday, June 3, 2021, 02:00 - 03:30 p.m. (BST time) = 03:00 - 04:30 p. m. (CEST)

Governing Online Speech: AI, Transparency and Corporate Social Responsibility

Speakers: Julie Owono, Facebook Oversight Board • Augustina Del Campo, University of Palermo • Sarah Roberts, UCLA

Chair: Monroe Price

Thursday, June 10, 2021, 02:00 - 03:30 p.m. (BST time) = 03:00 - 04:30 p. m. (CEST)