AMPLIFIER IMPACT, PLATFORM SAFETY ONLINE AFRICAN, GOOGLE LAUNCH
The platform furnishes an extensive repository of research, educational content, funding opportunities, and avenues to seek assistance following an online crime.
Impact Amplifier, supported financially by Google.org, has today introduced its African Online Safety Platform (AOSP).
The Africa Online Safety Platform constitutes a continent-wide initiative and forms part of Impact Amplifier’s broader goal to tackle African Online Safety at a systemic level.
Several issues impede the African internet safety ecosystem, with a major concern being the absence of a central repository encompassing all online safety research conducted across a broad spectrum of issues in Africa. Additionally, there is a lack of a centralized repository for educational materials addressing the plethora of online safety challenges relevant to African users. Moreover, there is a dearth of support systems from legal and social media platforms that are less intricate and time-consuming, along with inadequate funding for necessary interventions.
The AOSP has been developed to confront these challenges head-on. The platform presents a comprehensive repository of research, educational content, funding opportunities, and avenues to seek assistance in the event of an online crime.
The site aims to address the intricacies of understanding which online safety issues affect different parts of Africa, how to ensure the safety of everyone, especially young people, online, ways to formally teach online safety in schools and at home, funding opportunities for safety innovators, and how to seek help in the event of a crime or other violation.
The event also featured a panel discussion with several of Impact Amplifier’s grantees who are part of its ecosystem solution.
These panelists included online safety innovators from South Africa and Kenya who deliberated on some of the complexities and solutions for staying safe online in Africa.
The panelists from South Africa were Craig Rosewarne, managing director of Wolfpack Information Risk, and Camaren Peter, Director/Executive Lead at the Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change (CABC). Those from Kenya were Dennis Ratemo, Programme Manager at Terre des Hommes, and Martha Sunda, Executive Director at Childline Kenya. Their discussions underscored the importance of solutions tailored to local contexts in Africa.
Dr. Alistair Mokoena, Google SA Country Director, remarked:
“We first collaborated with Impact Amplifier in 2020 when we announced the initial fund. We have now introduced version 2.0 to demonstrate our continued commitment to providing sustained and dedicated support to the online safety ecosystem in Africa. This is to ensure that vulnerable populations are shielded from online harms and can enjoy the benefits of the internet. We encourage relevant parties to utilize this fantastic new educational and research resource and to apply to the fund.”
Speaking at the event, Tanner Methvin, Director of Impact Amplifier, stated:
“With over 570 million people having access to the internet in Africa, representing just under 47 percent of the continent’s population, online safety concerns deserve the utmost attention.”
Methvin added that the new platform “offers innovative approaches to addressing the complex safety issues the internet presents. These range from unique ways of combating mis- and disinformation, tracking cybercriminals, supporting journalists targeted with hate speech and bullying, integrating online safety training into school curriculums, and much more,” he concluded.”
News Report: Peter Oluka
News Source: Techeconomy
