Open Internet News

2nd August 2020

Covid-19: How Civic Techies Are Stepping Up To Aid The Fight In Africa

By Melissa Zisengwe |

The outbreak of the Covid-19pandemic has seen a number of African civic tech initiatives support efforts to help citizens, governments, businesses and communities respond to the global health crisis that is affecting every part of our lives. Civic tech has enabled government, citizens and companies to track and slow the spread of Covid-19across different African countries.

According to…

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30th July 2020

Young and Having Harmless Fun: Egypt Must Drop Charges Against Women TikTok Influencers

By AccessNow |

Amplifying its clampdown on freedom of expression online, the Egyptian government is on a campaign to arrest and prosecute women influencers on the emerging social media platform TikTok for violating “the values of the Egyptian family” and “inciting debauchery and immorality.”

The crackdown on TikTok influencers in Egypt began on 23 April 2020 with the arrest of 20-year-old student Haneen Hossam, for…

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23rd July 2020

MFWA Welcomes the Suspension of Ministerial Directive to GBC by President Akufo-Addo

By the Media Foundation for West Africa |

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) welcomes the Presidential decision to suspend execution of a Ministerial order to the state-owned Ghana Broadcasting Corporation GBC to surrender three of its six Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) channels, a directive the MFWA had challenged as “illegal and inimical.”

“The president of the Republic, Nana Addo-Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, on…

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14th July 2020

US, UK, Interpol Give Ghana Phone Hacking Tools, Raising Journalist Concerns on Safety and Confidentiality

By Jonathan Rozen, CPJ |

In May 2019, senior members of Ghana’s law enforcement posed for photos with the U.S. ambassador to their country at a ceremonyExternal link in the capital, Accra. Between them they held boxes and bags, gifts from the U.S. government to Ghana which, according to one of the recipients, contained Israeli phone hacking technology.

That recipient was Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, then-director…

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13th July 2020

Tracking Disinformation Laws and Policies in More Than 30 Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

By APC News |

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the dissemination of vast amounts of information, both verified and unverified. Against this backdrop, Global Partners Digital (GPD), ARTICLE 19, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), PROTEGE QV and the Centre for Human Rights of the University of Pretoria recently launched the Disinformation Tracker, an interactive…

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2nd July 2020

#KeepItOn: The Ethiopian Government Must End the Arbitrary Use of Internet Shutdowns to Quell Protests

By the Access Now |

#KeepItOn: The Ethiopian government must end the arbitrary use of internet shutdowns to quell protests

We, the undersigned organizations and members of the #KeepItOn coalition — a global network of human rights organizations that work to end internet shutdowns — denounce the arbitrary use of internet shutdowns by the Government of Ethiopia in response to protests and unrest…

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1st July 2020

Countering the ‘Disinfodemic’ in Namibia

By  Frederico Links |

As the COVID-19 pandemic has spread outwards from its initial epicentre in China since December 2019, so too has a rising tide of disinformation. It has become clear over the months, since January 2020, that this disinformation tide is contributing to polluting and corrupting the health communication information space and is undermining the effectiveness of information-driven health responses…

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Nairobi Top Courts Go Digital as Maraga Launches E-Filing Portal

By Harry Misiko |

Watch the E-Filling launch here.
As of July 1, about 170 advocates had filed their cases through the system, with the Commercial Division of the High Court registering the highest number.

Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji said digitising the court system will enhance transparency and reduce cases of corruption.
You will no longer be able to file cases manually in Nairobi…

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