News update |
AFRICAN governments, Zimbabwe included, are using sophisticated surveillance equipment to snoop on citizens and to quash dissenting voices.
This is contained in a report compiled by the International Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa CIPESA — an ICT research watchdog founded in 2004.
The report confirmed that Zimbabwe is using Israel spy technology which exploits loopholes in…
News update |
Unwanted Witness, a Uganda-based civil society organisation, in its 2021 report on privacy revealed inconsistencies in the privacy policy of the telecoms companies Airtel and MTN, financial services firms such as Stanbic Bank, and the insurance company Old Mutual. The data protection and privacy policies of these pan-African companies operating in Uganda significantly differs from their policies in other parts of…
TL;DR
WhatsApp has been slapped with a record fine for breaking privacy and data protection laws in the EU.
It’s the largest ever fine by the Irish regulator.
The messaging platform will appeal the “disproportionate fine.”
In a record fine doled out to Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp, EU regulators have asked the company to cough up €225 million (~$267 million) for breaking the General Data…
By Israel Nyoh |
The Internet Society and the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) recently signed an agreement to work together for an open, secure, and trustworthy Internet for Africa.
A digital revolution is transforming markets and societies across Africa. Digitalization is helping governments to generate more income, while enabling e-commerce, e-health, and automation, which is strengthening…
Open Letter |
The increasing involvement of foreign entities in undermining democracy and respect for human rights in the digital sphere in Africa is widely documented. Whereas these schemes have mostly been attributed to spyware vendors and data analytics firms, recent disclosures have implicated the European Union (EU).
Investigations by Privacy International have revealed the use of EU aid and cooperation programmes to train and equip security forces…
By CIPESA Writer |
Following a seven-year, windy journey, on November 8, 2019, Kenya got a data protection law. The Data Protection Act, 2019 has various positive elements and can go a long way in addressing the live issues in protecting the privacy of data in Kenya.
The law came at a time of widespread concern about privacy in the country, including…
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…
By CIPESA Writer |
After five days in police custody, Jamii Forums founder Maxence Melo has been released today (December 19). Melo, who was detained at a police station in the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam, was granted interim release with six individuals standing as surety for a bond amount of 6 million Tanzanian shillings (USD 2,700).
Melo was last Friday charged with…
Jamii Forums Founder, Maxence Melo has been charged with three offences before a court in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The charges are:
1: Management of a domain not registered in Tanzania under Section 79(c) of the Electronic and Postal Communications Act (2010).
2: Obstruction of investigations under Section 22 (2) of the Cyber Crimes Act of 2015 for not complying with an…
By Evelyn Lirri |
Journalists covering parliament in Uganda are facing challenges in reporting legislative developments on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) due to limited knowledge and poor access to information.
According to journalists from the Uganda Parliamentary Press Association (UPPA), the challenges are further exacerbated by some legislators’ limited knowledge and interest in ICT, and by the commercial interests of media…