By Victor Kapiyo |
In recent years, disruptions to the internet and social media applications have emerged as a common and growing trend of digital repression especially in authoritarian countries in Africa. Since 2019, countries such as Algeria, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and…
By Nana Ama Sarfo |
An unresolved issue in the OECD’s base erosion and profit-shifting 2.0 reform project is when and how countries will remove their unilateral digital tax measures once a solution is brokered. The OECD has made it clear that inclusive framework members are expected to revoke unilateral measures and refrain from introducing new ones when that time comes.
Yet after rounds of discussions,…
By CIPESA Writer |
In December 2020, Digital Shelter carried out a crowdsourcing survey asking Somali women to share their experiences of online shame, harassment and abuse. The survey resulted in 82 women responding with stories ranging from having accounts hacked, blackmail, through to receiving unsolicited indecent images from men.
Online harassment carries similar harms as street harassment, yet, as one respondent in…
By Tusi Fokane |
As South Africa prepares to hold local government elections in 2021, parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has rejected two proposals contained in the Electoral Laws Amendment Bill, which could have seen the introduction of electronic voting in the country.
The rejected proposals were contained in clause 14, which suggested that the country’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) “may…
By CIPE Writer |
Consumer protection serves as an avenue for promoting transparency, accountability, and trust in the digital age, helping shield both consumers and small businesses from unfair practices online. According to a report by the International Finance Corporation and Google, “Africa’s internet economy has the potential to reach $180 billion by 2025, accounting for 5.2% of the [Continent’s] gross domestic product…
By Ayang Macdonald |
A project to set up a unique digital library that will connect Cameroon’s eight state-owned universities is in the pipeline. This was at the center of discussions when heads of the concerned universities as well as authorities of the country’s Higher Education Ministry met for two days in the capital, Yaounde, last week.
During the meeting, stakeholders brainstormed on various operational modalities…
Announcement |
The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) and Paradigm Initiative (PIN) are pleased to announce the 2020 edition of the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica20) and to invite session proposals. This landmark event convenes a spectrum of stakeholders from across the internet governance and digital rights arenas in Africa and beyond to deliberate on…
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…
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…
News Update |
Personal information is so valuable that data has been described as “the new oil”. Although some regulators have stepped in to ensure that those who marshal our personal information operate transparently and are held accountable, South Africa’s personal protections are lagging dangerously.
The Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia) was signed into law in 2013 but is still not…