Chinese AI startups are turning WhatsApp chats and Kenya’s M‑Pay system into a massive, unregulated gig workforce for data labeling and content moderation. The model raises serious questions about labor rights, privacy and the future of open‑source AI. Dive into the details of this cross‑continental experiment. #AI #WhatsApp #MPesa #GigEconomy

🔗 https://aidailypost.com/news/chinese-ai-firms-build-unregulated-workforce-via-whatsapp-mobile

#Africa #Kenya #MPesa #Scammers #Scamming: "M-Pesa’s ubiquity has attracted many scammers. In 2021, a FinAccess survey found that nearly half of the Kenyans using mobile money had fallen victim to fraud or accidentally transferred money to the wrong recipients. That figure was 8.4% higher than the previous year. In 2022, a CBK report showed that 6.1% of mobile banking users and 25.9% of mobile money users had lost money through cybercrime.

In February 2023, Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) arrested eight men alleged to be members of a criminal syndicate that had defrauded mobile money users of more than 500 million Kenyan shillings ($3.8 million). Some towns, such as Mulot in Bomet County, have emerged as operating hubs for the M-Pesa SIM-swap fraud syndicates.

In 2022, Abdi Zeila, a Kenyan businessman, filed a class action suit against Safaricom and the country’s communications authority for exposing him to fraud. Zeila had lost 495,651 Kenyan shillings ($3,766) to SIM swap fraudsters. The court also opened the door for him to invite more victims of SIM swap fraud to join the suit."

https://restofworld.org/2023/mpesa-sim-swap-fraud/