In an era where a tweet can spark a revolution and a Facebook post can topple political careers, governments are no longer treating social media as mere digital platforms. Social media is the modern-day town hall where citizens debate policies, expose corruption, organize protests, and demand accountability.
But as online activism grows louder, so does the push to regulate it. Behind the scenes, new social media laws, policy proposals, and subtle intimidation tactics are reshaping what it means to speak freely online. While these measures are often justified as necessary for combating misinformation and maintaining public order, they increasingly feel like tools of control used to monitor dissent, suppress criticism, and blur the line between regulation and repression.
These regulations are often framed as efforts to fight fake news, hate speech, and cybercrime, yet, they are increasingly being used as tools to monitor, control, and, in some cases, silence critical voices.
Most big-tech platforms like Facebook, X and TikTok have their own content moderation policies that see them bar posts that promote violence, sexually explicit content and posts that translate to hatespeech among other characteristics. The platforms also have in place stern steps to limit disinformation, however, they usually comply with laws of countries where they operate which creates a likelihood of restricting speech further. Other times, the platforms are biased such that if the harmful speech is coming from an influential person, the posts would not be pulled down like that of a regular person.
YouTube for instance has been previously critiqued for allegedly treating its star users more leniently. Similarly, in Kenya, Journalists, content creators and mostly activists face content moderations more than anybody else on the platforms. From content takedowns to arrests over viral posts, the consequences of these laws are not confined to anonymous trolls or harmful actors they’re reaching activists, journalists, and everyday citizens.
However, Kenya is not new to digital oversight. Over the years, the government has introduced various frameworks to govern the online space some helpful, others controversial. For example, the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act of 2018 was a landmark law meant to tackle cyberbullying, identity theft, and online fraud. However, it also introduced broad provisions criminalizing “false information,” which courts have ruled unconstitutional in the past for threatening press freedom.
More recently, the ICTA Bill 2024 has triggered fresh concerns. If passed in its current form, it would give the government more power over digital platforms, bloggers, and content creators.
Beyond formal legislation, Kenyan internet users are increasingly reporting more subtle and dangerous threats to silence critical voices through fear and intimidation. There have been multiple reports of online commentators, activists, and influencers being abducted or arrested shortly after publishing content critical of the government or its agencies.
The mysterious abductions of vocal Kenyans some of whom later return shaken and silent have sent a clear message that online speech can come with offline consequences. The result is a growing sense of self-censorship, particularly among young creators and digital activists who once viewed social media platforms as safe spaces for expression.