Senator Gloria Orwoba questions Elon Musk's X operations in Kenya

During a Senate session on Wednesday, the senator expressed concerns that the platform, owned by the world's richest man Elon Musk, is used for cyberbullying and violating privacy. 

She referenced the recent case in Brazil whereby the country's Supreme Court ordered a nationwide suspension of X social media platform for defying court orders to take down accounts and posts that violate the local laws around misuse of the platform. 

"Back in Kenya, abuse of social media including X to spread misinformation, disinformation and hate speech continues to be of concern with the proliferation of the internet and social media in the country," she said. 

"Social media has been used to attack innocent persons including revealing critical information of the victims in violation of the Data Protection Act. This worrying trend should be dealt with urgently to deter perpetrators."

The senator sought a statement from the Standing Committee on ICT to list the basic guidelines that the Communications Authority of Kenya and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner have laid to ensure that X complies with Kenyan laws. 

She also sought confirmation whether the X platform and other social media channels such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram have been locally registered. 

Further, Orwoba wants the Committee to state whether social media victims have a platform to report cases of abuse. 

Her remarks come at a time when social media has been an effective tool for the youth to voice out their opinions and demanding for accountability from State officials. 

The revolutionary Gen-Z protests and the wave of youth honing their crafts in the digital industry has greatly been influenced by social media.

However, critics have questioned whether social media platforms can strike a balance between free speech and cyberbullying.