Kenya made history by denouncing the US-led “Declaration for the Future of the Internet”.
Through the office of the government spokesman, Kenya declared that protocol was not followed, and the country had not been consulted in listing her as one of the 55 signatories.
Government spokesman Cyrus Oguna said Kenya had not approved it nor gone through the processes and laws for endorsing the declaration. Although not legally binding, international instruments require approval by Parliament and the Cabinet.
Kenya is a signatory to many such declarations such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
A flurry of activity surrounding the Russia-Ukraine war involving NATO countries ended up in the signing of the internet declaration. Although the EU Parliament signed the document, it is America that Kenya responded to.
The internet controls many things today. With 4.95 billion users worldwide, millions of jobs and nations’ economies are driven by the internet, and a disruption represents a nightmare. As a “network of networks of networks” originating from uncountable places, the internet is almost impossible to police.
According to the EU statement, Russia had “threatened to disconnect partially or totally from the internet”. Russia President Vladimir Putin has also threatened to unleash his nuclear arsenal to destroy the world. Putin also threatens to obliterate the face of the world (and Russia with it) to spite his Ukrainian nose. The internet is part of his deadly game.
Given the military origins and despite its largely civilian uses, it is not surprising that Russia seeks to weaponize the internet. It would not be the first, nor will it be the last, with huge socio-economic, religious and political ramifications. But why did the US and EU include Kenya as a signatory without consulting? Was it a deliberate diplomatic, digital blunder?
The story of Edward Snowden, the self-exiled American and former National Security Agency employee, showed how NSA spied on Americans, as well as citizens and leaders of other countries. An embarrassed US government then sought Snowden’s arrest and prosecution.
Escaping from the US, Snowden ended up in Russia, no less, where he has permanent residency. On a related matter, Julian Assange, the founder of the famous Wikileaks that leaked diplomatic and other confidential documents on the internet, remains in custody in Belmarsh prison.
Kenya, too, appears in that intriguing treasure trove. Assange’s incarceration (or persecution, depending on how one looks at it) came after the UK refused to grant extradition requests by the US to face charges relating to documents leaked to him by Bradley Manning, a former US intelligence officer.
More recently, Twitter has been embroiled in boardroom wars since Elon Musk offered to buy a substantial stake in the company. Users feel the company was attempting to suppress free speech by making it look like a business decision. The entry of Musk was a breath of fresh air even before he took his seat on the board. Is the US digital public sphere a “marketplace of ideas” any more with its outright censorship and Biden’s recent formation of a “Ministry of Truth”?
Mainly as a narrative against former President Donald Trump, the White House has openly courted Twitter, Google and Facebook censorship against “Covid deniers” and “climate deniers” or “the January 6 insurrection plotters” to the extent that complex algorithms automatically delete some videos, texts and messages. Ask the American Frontline Doctors, who, like Trump, have had their internet presence suspended for “disinformation”. What is truth? Who decides and on what basis?
That partial history gives context to the declaration on the future of the internet, and the hypocrisy of the parties behind it. The internet declaration, despite being couched in the language of human rights and freedoms, ends up like a parody of it.
Kenya may yet debate and ratify the declaration. However, as things stand, it will be difficult to convince countries outside the EU and US that the declaration was done in good faith and that they should be part of it.
Okoth teaches communication at the Technical University of Kenya.
