Open letter to the Nigerian Senate on the matter of the Frivolous Petitions Prohibition Bill (aka “Social Media” Bill)
Distinguished Senators,
We are a coalition of Nigerian, African, and international organisations writing to you about the proposed Frivolous Petitions (Prohibitions, etc) Bill that has provisions for social media regulation. We believe that the bill is a dangerous encroachment upon free expression and…
Onlinecensorship.org Tracks Content Takedowns by Facebook, Twitter, and Other
Social Media Sites
San Francisco – The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Visualizing Impact
launched Onlinecensorship.org today, a new platform to document the who, what, and
why of content takedowns on social media sites. The project, made possible by a 2014
Knight News Challenge award, will address how social media sites moderate usergenerated
content and how…
The annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) this year takes place in Joao Pessoa, Brazil from October 10-13. We are excited to participate at the forum which is themed “Evolution of Internet Governance: Empowering Sustainable Development”, during which we will share our insights on internet governance and related issues in East Africa.
An initiative of the United Nations, the IGF is a multi-stakeholder dialogue…
By Stanley Azuakola,
An activist Aminata Manneh (also known as Minah Manneh), who champions women and children’s rights is reportedly out of the country after she went missing for 48 hours.
Manneh’s disappearance occurred after she posted a video on her Facebook page, of a policeman beating a young girl with a stick which went viral last week.
The activist took wrote a Facebook post saying she…
Key findings
Internet censorship products made by Canada-based Netsweeper have been identified on the networks of three Somalia-based Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
Testing has demonstrated that the Netsweeper installation on the network of the ISP Hormuud is being used to filter content.
The history of contested political authority and influence of a radical insurgency within Somalia raises questions about whether Netsweeper undertook due…
Somalia Powerless to Stop Al-Shabaab Mobile Internet Shutdown
Osman Ali, the owner of an electronics shop in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has been hard-hit since Al-Shabaab forced the biggest telecoms company to switch off its mobile internet service in this Horn of Africa nation.
“I don’t understand why the government has not done anything to deal with the situation. It could at least…
Telecos operating in Al Shabaab-controlled areas of central and southern Somalia have heeded to an order by the militant group to shut off any internet services to their customers given 15 days ago despite the government having urged telcos to ignore the directive.
According to Hiraan Online news site, residents in these areas reported missing signals even as the militia was…
Highlighting government officials’ increasing displeasure with online newspapers and social media networks in Africa, the Zambian government has blocked access to the Zambian Watchdog newspaper, accusing it of promoting hate speech.
The paper has now resorted to posting stories on its Facebook page in order for Zambian readers to access the content of the newspaper, as they cannot access it through…
Mugabe Hunts for Internet Mole ‘Baba Jukwa’ revealing his Secrets
President Robert Mugabe has reportedly offered a $300,000 reward to anyone who can unmask an anonymous whistleblower behind a string of leaks about alleged Zimbabwean government assassination plots, corruption and plans to rig this month’s election.
The well-informed mole, who calls himself “Baba Jukwa” and appears to be operating from within the…
News Update |
After the “Arab springs” and other protest movements that prompted many rises and falls in last year’s index, the 2013 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index marks a return to a more usual configuration. The ranking of most countries is no longer attributable to dramatic political developments. This year’s index is a better reflection of the attitudes…