Compelled Service Provider Assistance for State Surveillance in Africa: Challenges and Policy Options

By CIPESA Writer |

In many Sub-Saharan countries, state surveillance, which generally refers to state measures to monitor and supervise activities of the population, has become more pervasive and reliant on various digital technologies. The increasing communication surveillance, which entails the monitoring, interception, collection and retention of information through communication networks, undermines digital technology users’ rights, including to privacy, and…

Lawyers Trained to Defend Digital Freedoms

By Edrine Wanyama |

On July 28, 2022, 82 practicing advocates in Uganda were trained on defending digital rights and freedoms. The training was organised by the International Senior Lawyers Project, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), Uganda Law Society, and the Centre for Law and Democracy.

The sessions included an assessment of Uganda’s digital rights landscape, human rights issues affecting women journalists in…

How Digital Espionage Tools Exacerbate Authoritarianism Across Africa

News update |

Earlier this year, an international reporting project based on a list of 50,000 phone numbers suspected of being compromised by the Pegasus spyware program revealed just how widespread digital espionage has become. Pegasus, which is built and managed by the Israeli firm NSO Group, turns mobile phones into surveillance tools by granting an attacker full access to a device’s data. It is among…

How Weaponization of Network Disruptions During Elections Threatens Democracy

By Evelyn Lirri |

In August 2021, Zambia became the latest country to restrict citizens’ access to social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp as the country went to the polls. Citing the need to stop the spread of election misinformation, the Zambian government disrupted the internet in an election that saw an opposition politician defeat the incumbent president.  

The disruption…

How State Surveillance is Stifling Democratic Participation in Africa: State of Internet Freedom in Africa Study Findings

FIFAfrica21 |
As African countries embrace digital technologies, there is growing concern that the rising state surveillance, which is partly being enabled by the same digital technologies, is undermining African citizens’ digital rights and hindering their willingness to meaningfully participate in democratic processes.
One of the “democratising effects” of the internet was that it had provided a safe and alternative engagement platform…

FIFAfrica21: Tackling Cybersecurity on the African continent

FIFAfrica21 |

EU Cyber Direct will on September 29, 2021 convene a session on Africa and the Future of International Cybercrime Cooperation as part of the eighth edition of the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica).

According to the Africa Center, African governments face a fast-evolving array of digital threats including espionage, critical infrastructure sabotage and organised crime. The attacks come from a broad range of…

Hands off Cyber Security, ICASA told

By Admire Moyo |

South African telcos, Internet service providers, industry bodies and analysts are largely of the view that the Independent Communications Authority of SA’s (ICASA’s) forays into cyber security will bear hard upon the already overburdened telecommunications regulator.

Today and tomorrow, ICASA is holding public hearings in respect of the discussion document which was published to solicit written submissions regarding the authority’s role and responsibilities in the…

The Stampede for SIM Card Registration: A Major Question for Africa

By Edrine Wanyama |

It is anticipated that by 2025, there will be at least 5.9 billion mobile subscribers accounting for 71% of the world’s population. As of 2017,  Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) had  a mobile subscription rate of 44% which is projected to reach  52% by 2025. Further, SSA’s mobile internet penetration by 2017 stood at 21% and is anticipated to…

The Rise of The Namibian Surveillance State

Namibian law enforcement & security authorities could already be engaging in surveillance abuse and could now just be seeking legal cover from politicians and lawmakers.

What is worrying is that while these securocratic blocks are seemingly set to fall into place one by one, selective closed-door consultations are being used to create the illusion of public or stakeholder engagement, while no actual…

New Report Analyses Internet Censorship During Lesotho’s 2017 General Elections

The Kingdom of Lesotho unsuccessfully attempted to shut down access to certain websites twice during the period leading to general elections in June 2017, a new report finds.

As part of his Sub Saharan-Africa Cyber Regionalism and Elections project, Arthur Gwagwa travelled to Maseru, Lesotho, to examine existing internet controls and also monitor internet accessibility during the southern African country’s elections, held on June 3, 2017.…