Open Internet News

22nd March 2018

Internet Censorship Bill Looms Large Over Egypt

Egyptian parliamentarians will soon review a draft anti-cybercrime law that could codify internet censorship practices into national law.

While the Egyptian government is notorious for censoring websites and platforms on national security grounds, there are no laws in force that explicitly dictate what is and is not permissible in the realm of online censorship. But if the draft law is approved, that will…

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9th March 2018

More Ugandans now Own Mobile Phones

Report|

KAMPALA- Almost 24.8m or 70.9 per cent of Ugandans own mobile phones, a report by the National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U), has revealed.

The report dubbed the National IT Survey 2017/2018, sampled 2,700 people among government ministries, departments, agencies, local governments and households across the country in 2017.

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) 2014 Access and Usage of Communication Services Across Uganda…

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4th March 2018

Litigating Against Internet Shutdowns in Cameroon

By Juliet Nanfuka |

The push back against internet shutdowns in Cameroon has recently taken a new turn with advocacy organisations filing formal submissions before the Supreme Court of Cameroon. In their January 2018 submission, AccessNow and Internet Sans Frontières (ISF) highlight Cameroon’s commitment to international and regional human rights law and urge judges to recognise that disrupting or blocking the internet…

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27th February 2018

Two Nigerian Journalists Charged With Cybercrime

News Update|

February 27, 2018–the Committee to Protect Journalists said, Nigerian authorities should immediately drop plans to charge Timothy and Daniel Elombah, editor and chief executive respectively, of the independent Elombah news website.

A federal court in Abuja is scheduled to arraign the brothers on cybercrime and terrorism-related offenses on March 1, their lawyer Obunike Ohaegbu told CPJ.

“Timothy and Daniel Elombah are journalists and…

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26th February 2018

State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money

News Update|
As a burgeoning fintech community seeks to marry start-up innovation with mobile money scale, the potential to serve as the gateway to the digital economy is becoming increasingly central to the story of mobile money.
Policy objectives also play an increasingly important role, as the scope of mobile money regulation broadens
https://twitter.com/GSMA/status/968153172819800065
Read more about it here.
 

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23rd February 2018

Advancing Internet Policy Research in Africa

By Juliet Nanfuka |

The conversation and actions on internet related policy in Africa have grown in recent years as has the appreciation of its impact on internet users. However, research to support advocacy for improved internet policy development on the continent remains relatively low despite a growing internet penetration and its resultant impact on the continent’s social, economic and political scenes. This…

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20th February 2018

DRC Activists Take on Vodacom & Others Over Internet Shutdowns

Complaint against Telecommunication Companies in DRC.

Telecommunications’ multinational companies are accused of:

Interrupting or interfering with access to the Internet, without any explanation or reimbursement. This constitutes a failure to accomplish own obligation to supply services to Congolese who had paid for megabytes in exchange for the promise of guaranteed free usage, accordingly.
Refusing to communicate or notify clients about negative incidents that…

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16th February 2018

GPU Welcomes Ecowas Court Ruling on Gambia Anti-free Speech Laws

News Update-Africa|
The Gambia Press Union (GPU) welcomes the ruling made by the Abuja-based Ecowas Court of Justice on Wednesday February 14, on the legality of the laws of sedition, criminal defamation, false publication on the internet and false publication and broadcasting.
In 2015, the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) along with four Gambian exiled journalists, namely Fatou Camara, Lamin Fatty, Alagie…

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