By Alex Gakuru
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has intensified the debate around bias and misrepresentation. The profound implications of technology on nearly every sector and aspect of life have raised concerns among the public and policymakers about the need for more local content online.
Critics argue that the internet serves as a tool for powerful nations to erase non-English cultures, restructure global labour dynamics, and further impoverish the poor. Unless deliberate and effective measures are taken to transform the internet economy, Africans risk becoming modern-day slaves in digital plantations.
Africa’s rich oral culture, heritage, and traditional knowledge—expressed through over 3,000 languages—contrast sharply with the internet’s current landscape. As of June 2011, Africa contributed only two percent of the global online webpages, indicating a foreign influence rather than representative online content.
A truly internationalised internet architecture abundant with local content and data that benefits Africans is essential for a more democratic and empowering digital economy.
John Kiarie, MP for Dagoretti South and Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Communication, Information, and Innovation, concurs:
“We are entering a new data race. A staggering 46.5% of data that fuels the development of Large Language Models for AI systems is in English. English’s cultural dominance disenfranchises thousands of other languages. We risk becoming the last generation to speak our African languages.”
The online representation debate revolves around the conflict between realistic projections and the perceptions created by third-party imagery. This may explain why data protection legislation includes provisions for correcting personal information held by data processors and controllers.
A “rough consensus” on data justice can be achieved when all stakeholders are involved in policy-making. Internet communities, including marketplaces and businesses, must participate to ensure fair online representation. Otherwise, the adage, “if you’re not at the table, then you’re on the menu,” becomes relevant.
While the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organisation managing the technical aspects of the Internet, generally steers clear of content issues, it is compelled to address certain policies, such as spoken languages under Internationalized Domain Names (IDN), which aim to facilitate a multi-lingual internet. Moreover, intellectual property rights related to domain names and trademark law are also within ICANN’s purview.
The Applicant Support Program (ASP) aims to create a more linguistically equitable internet, crucial for increasing uptake and penetration, and consequently driving the development of the DNS industry in a thriving internet ecosystem. The program will provide eligible Kenyan organisations seeking to operate a registry with a 75-85% reduction in gTLD evaluation fees, from US$ 227,000 (KSh 30 million).
Boost local content online
The most significant content for people is, naturally, in their own language and relevant to their local communities. To reach the widest audience, content needs to be available on various devices in languages the users understand, while also addressing their local needs and interests. Furthermore, cyberspace is redefining group structures around culture, religion, ethnicity, and other common interests.
Collectively referred to as “local content,” this online material serves specific geographic areas and uses local languages to engage with local issues and find solutions. However, the lack of relevant local content in African languages, combined with minimal native language use online, prevents many native speakers from effectively navigating an English-centric internet.
“Past races for domain names and social media innovations demonstrate that Africa has not Africanised the internet. Instead, the internet has simply ‘internetised’ Africa. We cannot afford to sit back and watch our African languages, culture, and traditional knowledge disappear,” added John Kiarie.
Grow the local creative economy
Cultural and creative industries, traditional knowledge, languages, and music stand to gain from increased exposure through new gTLDs. The ASP program also promotes authentic African identity online, better connecting and resonating with audiences. This includes organisations such as the National Museums of Kenya, Riverwood Ensemble, Ketebul Music, UNESCO partners, and the Keiyo Community Culture Initiative, among others.
A strong online presence is critical for businesses of all sizes, including finance, marketing agencies, and media outlets. While the .com domain has historically been the most popular extension, there is growing interest in localised gTLDs.
Estimates indicate that over 75% of global financial transactions occur online. Commercial banks and fintech firms seeking to expand their market may find new gTLDs beneficial for establishing a local online presence.
For instance, a hypothetical new gTLD, “.brandsofkenya,” would offer marketing businesses the opportunity to register domain names such as https://family.brandsofkenya. This subdomain signifies a connection to marketing, allowing for a unique online identity and reducing the clutter of .com domains space for a specific and easy-to-recognize online identity.
Media houses conscious of audience trends and interested in retaining and growing their reach may choose to follow the public migrating to these new localised domain name spaces. Noted historical reluctance to embrace the internet resulted in losing massive audiences to social media platforms.
Influencers
The popularity of local content expression is reflected by the number of Kenyan influencers with millions of followers. Supposing local influencers operated a new domain name, say “.athiri”, and converted a fraction of their followers to register under the domain. They would have more domains than https://registry.africa/ which had 67,000 “.africa” domains a year ago or https://kenic.or.ke/ currently boasting 106,000 “.ke” domains – set to increase given studies indicate that 92 per cent of people prefer to deal with local registrars.
The ASP program presents an opportunity for increased local registrar business. But it remains to be seen whether influencers can be influenced to enter an exciting domain name industry.
The author is a consultant technologist, policy, law and regulation expert with an interest In cyber law.
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