WhatsApp

These WhatsApp Messages Can Now Land You In Serious Legal Trouble in South Africa

News Update |

The government signed two key pieces of legislation into law in 2021, which will impact social media posts and sharing messages in South Africa, says social media lawyer Emma Sadleir.

Addressing a recent UCT webinar, Sadleir said that the Film and Publications Amendment Act now criminalises all forms of image-based violence and revenge pornography. In addition, the Cybercrimes Act criminalises threats…

WhatsApp asked to pay a whopping $267 million fine for breaking privacy laws

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…

Profiter de L’espace Numérique pour Combattre la Traite des êtres Mumains en RD Congo, en Gambie et en Mauritanie

Par Ashnah Kalemera et Simone Toussi |

L’utilisation croissante des technologies numériques en Afrique est entrain de faciliter les activités de traite de personnes dans la région. Cependant, ces mêmes technologies peuvent être mises à profit pour lutter contre ce fléau qui sévit sur le continent.

Avec le soutien du Fonds Africain pour les Droits Numériques (ADRF), le think tank juridique africain sur les droits…

Sudan has Blocked Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to Counter Anti-govt protests

By Abdi Latit Dahir |

Sudan’s government is looking to the internet as one way to quell swelling protests all over the country.

For over a week now, protesters in major cities have demonstrated against rising bread prices besides soaring inflation and shortages in fuel. To remedy the dire economic and political situation, marchers have called on president Omar al-Bashir, who has…

Uganda’s Social Media Tax Threatens Internet Access, Affordability

By Juliet Nanfuka |

Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni has directed the finance ministry to introduce taxes on the use of social media platforms. According to him, the tax would curb gossip on networks such as WhatsApp, Skype, Viber and Twitter and potentially raise up to Uganda Shillings (UGX) 400 billion (USD 108 million) annually for the national treasury. The ministry has already proposed amendments…

Internet Restored in Togo after Five Days’ Shutdown

The Togolese authorities have restored the Internet in the country after five days of disruption amidst agitations from the opposition coalition for political reforms.

WhatsApp, Facebook and other internet services were restored on September 10, 2017 after being disrupted on September 5, a day before the mass opposition demonstrations. The disruption lasted five days.

The disruption was greeted with widespread condemnation and calls…

Kenya tightens social media regulations ahead of elections

Ahead of the August 8 elections, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) and The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) have published guidelines aimed at restricting the use of social media for political messages. This includes sharing incendiary, content via Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.
According to commission chair Francis Kaparo, the guidelines seek to prevent the transmission of undesirable political content using text…

Rwanda’s Communications Regulator Dismisses Electoral Commission’s Directives on Suppressing Free Speech Online

By Ashnah Kalemera |

The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA), the body that regulates telecommunication services, has dismissed a statement by the country’s electoral body regarding vetting of social media posts by candidates in the upcoming elections. This principled move by RURA needs to be commended, and just like the authority has steadfastly held service providers to their licensing obligations and…