The recent incident where Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei shared a deepfake video on his social media account may have exposed the underlying danger that every member of the public is vulnerable.

PS Sing’oei posted an AI generated video designed to resemble a CNN broadcast journalist while falsely depicting Kenya’s role in South Sudan peace efforts.

“For the fake analysts who doubt the good faith of Kenya’s peace diplomacy, here is a cogent assessment by CNN’s Foreign Policy expert Fareed Zakaria,” Sing’oei posted.

He would later delete the video and issue a public apology after several X users flagged the video as deepfake.

“I sincerely apologise for inadvertently posting an AI-generated video disguised as a genuine commentary from Fareed Zakaria of CNN on the search for peace in the Sudan conflict and the role of Kenya in it.,” he said, expressing regret.

PS Sing’oei’s action may have passed as a diplomatic gaffe, but it raises concerns over the vulnerability of consumers of digital information, drawing a thin line between truth and falsehood that targets everyone.

Experts and leaders argue that any member of the public is not immune to the tide of misinformation and disinformation sweeping through social media, and other digital platforms of communication.

Misinformation is false or inaccurate information involving getting facts wrong while disinformation is false information which is deliberately intended to mislead and/or cause harm, according to American Psychological Association.

In this era where information is at the fingertips of the majority of the public, not even those unavailable within the digital social space by virtue of not being in possession of smartphones and/or other digital communication gadgets, are exempted.

These concerns were subject of deep conversations during a symposium hosted at the National Intelligence and Research University (NIRU), on disinformation and misinformation.

The conference brought together experts and leading voices in media, technology, and psychology who revealed unsettling truths about how we are all unknowingly vulnerable to the manipulation of information—and what needs to change to fight back.

The symposium that brought together thought leaders, scholars, policymakers, and media professionals to examine the evolving landscape of false information, was themed, ‘Towards resilient information ecosystem: combating disinformation and misinformation for democracy and national security.’

Africa Check editor, Alphonce Shiundu, said the internet and social media have made it easy for everyone to receive and share information, but without verifying its credibility.

“This has led to rapid spread of both false and accurate information. But because research shows that falsehood spreads faster than truth, it becomes challenging to control the spread of false information,” he told The Sunday Standard during the inaugural conference.

The spread, Shiundu said, is exacerbated by algorithmic amplification of information which gives people more of what they want according to their preference.

“If you like videos of people dancing, it will show you more of people dancing, if you love clicking information about politics, it will give you that often,” he said.

“They turn themselves according to algorithmically determined data preferences,” he added.

Shiundu argued, this was witnessed during the June, 2024, Gen Z protests when the youth quickly mobilised themselves through social media platforms and within a record time, they had overtaken the streets.

“Even the elderly at home are vulnerable to this problem. Their case is worst because once they consume an information, whether false or true, it is difficult to convince them otherwise because it is about what they see and not what you tell them,” he stated.

Dr James Kibon, NIRU vice chancellor said that in today’s digital age, information is a powerful force that shapes perceptions, influences decisions, and drives societal change.

“However, the growing threat of disinformation and misinformation poses serious challenges, eroding public trust, destabilizing democratic institutions, and endangering national

security,” Dr Kibon said.

He noted that the university dedicated to academic excellence, research, and truth, also recognizes the urgency of addressing the threats through rigorous inquiry, informed dialogue, and strategic collaboration.

National Intelligence Director General Noordin Haji expressed concern that proliferation of technology and innovation, the rise of digital platforms and artificial intelligence, may further scale and precision disinformation tactics.

While access to information remains a cornerstone of democratic governance,

socio-economic stability and inter-state relations, Haji said, propagation of disinformation and misinformation continues to threaten these ideals that have no boundary.

“Foreign and domestic agents of malign activities are increasingly leveraging cyberspace to advance their interests, to the detriment of national security,’ Haji said.

Haji said the recent developments in technology, especially the Artificial Intelligence, calls for pragmatic solutions to surmount the challenges of disinformation, underscoring the role NIRU plays in addressing these concerns.

“NIRU is suitably placed to formulate policy proposals to address underlying vulnerabilities in cyberspace. The university should aspire to occupy a premier position in fostering collaborations that transcend academic spheres and address unique challenges,” he said.

He noted that the conflicting legal regimes in different jurisdictions remain an impediment to inter-state cooperation in addressing the challenge.

Maurice Otieno, Baraza lab executive director, said companies make money with the online chaos hence it is incumbent upon the government to chaos to educate the public.

“There is clear difference between the law and morality, there are things that are moral but illegal. We create good information but keep it and do not share it in a way that is meaningful.

People must be aware of inherent bias within the platforms. Educate people,” he said.

Shiundu who believes that there is no parallel solution.

“Teach people how to detect, and how to fight disinformation and educate them to call it out and people understand what is true and that which is false,” he said.

He said that educating people about fact-checking is also vital in fighting the menace. “People need to know how to verify the credibility of information before dissemination. It is upon the government to increase access to information. Let people have the information

allowing for public education, media and digital and AI literacy, informing people how they can distinguish real and AI generated or manipulated images,” he added.

Eric Mugeni, Africa Uncensored editor questioned the competency of personnel tasked with the responsibility of handling communications for the government.

“What they do is they tend to deflect instead, they don’t actually address public concerns,” he said, adding that such actions leaves the public in limbo.

He urged the government to challenge tech companies to stop outsourcing as the contracted companies for fact-checking deny responsibility whenever mistakes happen.

Shiundu said that, going forward, the country has every reason to worry, given the findings of the latest Global Risk Report showing that misinformation and disinformation comes fifth in the list of global risks in the next 10 years.