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Submit Your Session Proposal or Travel Support Application to the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa 2023 (FIFAfrica23)

Announcement |

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) invites interested parties to submit session proposals to the 2023 edition of the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica23). Successful submissions will help to shape the agenda of the event, which will gather hundreds of policymakers, regulators, human rights defenders, journalists, academics, private sector players,…

Call for Anti-Online Bullying Law

By Sakeus Iikela |

The ideal legislation should clearly define the rules of engagement as well as what constitutes online violence and how internet users can report and take action against perpetrators.

These were the views of some participants at the discussion on politics organised by the Internet Society of Namibia in Windhoek yesterday.

Martha Chilongoshi who spoke at the event on behalf…

MLDI to Host a Strategic Digital Rights Litigation Workshop at FIFAfrica18

Announcement |
Litigation has been recognised as a potentially effective tool in removing restrictions on the free flow of information online in countries with repressive internet regimes. Increasingly, some initiatives are seeking to encourage collaboration among different actors in strategic litigation for a free and open internet.
Indeed, various cases in litigation for the respect and realisation of digital rights have recently been recorded in Cameroon, Kenya, Burundi and Gambia, among…

Uganda: New Social Media Tax will Push Basic Connectivity Further Out of Reach for Millions

By Alliance For Affordable Internet |

Uganda’s government has passed a new tax that will require citizens to pay UGX 200 (US$0.05) per day in order to use messaging and voice over-the-top services (OTTs), including Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and Viber. The tax, slated to take effect on 1 July, will push the cost of basic internet access further out of reach…

Uncertainty Over How Uganda’s New Social Media Tax Will be Collected

By Juliet Nanfuka |

On May 30, 2018, Uganda’s parliament passed the Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill 2018, which will see users of Over-The-Top (OTT) services that include messaging and voice calls via Whatsapp, Facebook, Skype and Viber pay a mandatory fee of UGX 200 (USD 0.05) per day of use. In another move that could hit affordability, stifle innovation, and undermine the role…

Sections of Kenya’s Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018 Temporarily Suspended

By Juliet Nanfuka |

Barely two weeks after the presidential assent to the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018, a High Court judge has issued a conservatory order suspending the entry into force of 26 sections of Kenya’s contentious Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018. The order by Judge Chacha Mwita, suspending the sections until July 18, follows a petition filed by the…

President Kenyatta Assents to Cybercrimes Bill Amid Protests

News Update |

President Uhuru Kenyatta has assented to the Computer and Cybercrimes Bill, 2017. The new law imposes hefty fines and long prison terms for cyber bullies and fake news dealers. It also targets journalists, media houses, social media users, bloggers and other internet users.

The assent comes amid calls for the president to revert the law back to Parliament to…

Kenyan President Should Not Sign Cybercrime Bill into Law

News Update |

Nairobi, May 10, 2018 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta not to sign into law a cybercrimes bill that was recently passed by the National Assembly because it will stifle press freedom.

On April 26, 2018, the National Assembly approved the Computer and Cybercrimes Bill, 2017. The bill, among other provisions, criminalizes the publication of false…

What New Regulations Mean to Social Media Users

Tanzania News|

Dar es Salaam. Be warned that failure to have a password for your mobile phone is now a crime which might earn you a fine of more than Sh5 million or imprisonment for 12 months or both.

This is in accordance to the newly introduced Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulation 2018 which was signed by Minister for Information,…

Uganda Moves to Register Online Content Providers

By Daniel Mwesigwa |

Uganda has become the latest East African country to threaten access to information and free speech online by putting in place measures that require the registration of online content providers. In a noticeissued earlier this month, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) called for online publishers, news platforms, radio and television operators to “apply and obtain authorization” for provision…