By Roberta Gayode Modin and Magdalene Andoh
Minister for Communication and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu Ekuful has called for collective stakeholder policies and rules to clamp down on the use of social media as a tool to spreading false information in Ghana.
This clarion call was necessitated by the proliferation of artificial intelligence and how it is used by unscrupulous people to disseminate fake news.
The Member of Parliament for Ablekuman West constituency added that the state takes pride in upholding the fundamental human rights of Ghanaians therefore the need to protect citizens against the onslaught of false information.
“Nobody wants to use heavy-handed approach of internet shutdowns or instructing network operators to censor or limit the information that people put out “, she said at a public lecture on the theme “impact of disinformation on electoral integrity, peace and security in Africa”.
“Artificial intelligence can be utilized to detect and flag suspicious content to enable efficient and real-time fact-checking” she added.
She urged all stakeholders to collectively contribute to making policies to safeguard citizens against negative impact of fake news and protect Ghana’s peace.
