Need for COFI networks to counter online hate campaigns

The US Consulate General Hyderabad organised a talk session by Dr Mazher Hussain, Founder and Executive Director of Confederation of Voluntary Associations (COVA). He spoke about the journey of conceiving and creating the COFI Networks to counter online hate on Thursday at Lamakaan.

Speaking about the program Dr Hussain said, “The online media is being increasingly used for hate campaigns to spread misinformation aimed to createmistrust and alienation between different communities that result in hostilities and lead to violence. It is a major cause for motivating youth to adopt fanatic ideologies and take to violent and extremist actions.

There are many persons from youth, civil society, journalism, religious groups and computer professionals etc,who are concerned by this growing phenomenon of misuse of social media spaces for fanatic indoctrination. They are well versed with facts and can ideologically counter the hate campaigns but are unable to respond appropriately due to their technical limitations in use of social media and absence of a platform for action.”

Explaining about COFI- DLIT Trainings: Boot Camps & Tech Camps, he said, “The COFI-Networks (Countering Online Fanatic Indoctrination-Networks) Program aims to enlist persons from different fields well versed in religious and social issues with progressive ideologies as partners.

Subsequently, Digital Literacy and Intervention Techniques (DLIT) Training Programs will be organised to provide them technical skills and ability in handling a range of social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Blogging, Emails and Google Search etc. through Boot Camps.

These will be followed by more specialisedTechCamps to impart required ability to develop appropriate Tools and Apps to use social media to address the problems they face in theirwork of growing mistrust and antagonism between different communities.”

“COFI Networks are being launched in 9 countries of South Asia and South-East Asia covering 26 cites. The idea is to counter online hate campaign which is going on. This is not a type of awareness program but will train people and to prevent spread of wrong information on social media,” he adds.