By CIPESA Writer,
On the morning of the highly anticipated general elections in Uganda, citizens woke up to no access to social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp. The popular mobile phone-based financial transaction service commonly known as Mobile Money was also offline.
…
By Juliet Nanfuka,
The beginning of 2016 has been marked with a series of arrests and summonses of individuals in Kenya as a result of content shared through social media platforms. Contrary to the constitutional right to freedom of expression, the incidents that relate to up to 10 individuals illustrate the Kenya Government’s continued use of vague legal provisions to stifle…
By CIPESA Writer |
Towards the end of 2015, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) under the OpenNet Africa initiative convened some of Africa’s leading thought leaders to discuss the various facets of internet freedom in Africa.
The Forum on Internet Freedom in East Africa is one of very few gatherings that assemble an African audience within the continent to discuss matters related to…
A man has been charged in a Nairobi court for sharing pictures of slain Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers on WhatsApp.
Capital News reports that the man was arraigned before the court on charges of sharing indecent photographs in a public forum and threatening to disturb peace in the country.
…
Nairobi – A Kenyan man has been charged for publishing pictures alleged to be of Kenyan soldiers killed last week by Islamic extremist rebels in Somalia.The man, Eddy Reuben Illah, appeared in court on Tuesday, denied the charges and was remanded in custody. The charge sheet said the photos distributed by the suspect were “likely to cause fear and alarm.…
By Andrew Bagala,
KAMPALA- Police yesterday indicated that they are investigating Mr Charles Rwomushana, a former intelligence operative with the Internal Security Organisation, for publishing hate-speeches on his social media platforms.
…
By Marilyn Vernon |
In Kenya, whereas the use of the internet had expanded into all areas of day to day living, the threat of government surveillance and interference has impacted upon user confidence in the security of their online interactions. This comes after several local bloggers and social media users have been arrested and in some cases charged with misuse…
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…
South Africa’s Cybercrimes And Cybersecurity Bill (2014) has been met with apprehension among civil society due to its vague definitions, its limited safeguards for access to information and freedom of expression. In many ways, it resonates with the equally stifling Draft Online Regulation Policy gazetted in March 2015, which contains clauses that have the potential of blocking online content including as…
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…