Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)

Articles by Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)

Kenya’s fight against COVID-19 chips away at digital rights

Strategies used to contain COVID-19 in Kenya have had a negative impact by violating freedom of expression and citizens’ privacy.

Compulsory registration of array of online content creators threatens free expression in Uganda

The Ugandan government persists in introducing regulations that directly impact on sharing of information through online platforms.

Niger passes new law on interception of communications

Niger’s recently passed interception of communications law is meant to contain security threats, but instead the surveillance implications pose a threat to free speech and online privacy.

Tanzania’s newly passed law entrenches digital rights repression

Edrine Wanyama takes a look at how in the run-up to elections, Tanzania has passed new regulations introducing exorbitant application fees and stringent online registration requirements for content producers.

Ethiopia skirting its duty to uphold freedom of expression

CIPESA reviews Ethiopia’s recurring internet shutdowns against the landmark ECOWAS Court of Justice ruling, declaring Togo’s 2017 internet shutdown illegal.

Disinformation laws and policies on the African continent at the push of a button

A coalition of civil society organisations has launched an interactive map to analyse and track how disinformation laws and policies are being enforced across sub-Saharan Africa.

Cybercrime legislation in Kenya and Nigeria curtails fundamental freedoms

The African Internet Rights Alliance (AIRA) has urged two Special Rapporteurs to publicly call on Kenya and Nigeria to ensure that their cybercrimes laws do not restrict fundamental rights and freedoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social media tax hinders COVID-19 information

The government’s dissemination of critical information on COVID-19 via social media is inaccessible to the majority of Ugandan citizens unable to afford the country’s social media tax imposed in 2018.