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20Dec

Ongoing Power Cuts Set Back South Africa’s Gains on Digital Access 

Author CIPESA Posted on

By Tusi Fokane |

Over the last 15 years, South Africa has been caught in the midst of  an energy crisis with 2023 marking the most challenging period. The country experienced record-breaking power cuts, resulting in 300 days of load shedding at an economic cost of ZAR 1 billion per day (USD 55 million).  The power cuts which in some instances run up to eight hours a day have impacted South African society in various ways including through a rise in crime, reduced access to economic opportunities, health care, education and essential government services. There have also been concerns raised on the impact of load shedding on access to the internet. 

Internet access concerns fueled by the power cuts have included data affordability, availability of pre-paid internet packages, and convenience of access.  Whilst telecommunications companies have taken steps to minimise access disruptions, by investing in increased security, back-up, and alternative sources of energy, experts have warned that the continued power disruptions would exacerbate the digital divide, particularly for rural and poor communities. As part of efforts to avert the crisis, in May 2023,  the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), established a committee to assess the impact of load shedding on consumers of electronic communications, broadcasting, and postal services towards informing regulatory interventions for the sector.  

Meanwhile, according to the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) telecommunications companies are lobbying for the declaration of the sector as a national strategic asset under the Critical Infrastructure Protection Act. The law deems a sector critical if it is essential for the economy, national security, public safety and the continuous provision of basic public services.

A Fracturing Digital Access Divide 

An estimated 79 percent of the South African population has access to the internet, predominantly through their mobile devices. Access to the internet, particularly in the post-Covid-19 environment, increased reliance on the sector as internet access facilitated many digital activities such as remote work and e-learning. However, the frequency of load shedding affects digital gains particularly for small businesses and students, leaving those without access to alternative sources of power, often unable to access internet services effectively.  According to Accountability Lab, citizens who can afford extra internet data, generators, and solar panels are managing to cope with the power outages. However, the Lab notes a widening of the gap between “digital haves and have-nots” and stresses that ”with limited access to online education and work options, citizens who are already struggling to afford the cost of living find themselves further behind.” Activists have warned that any load shedding mitigation undertaken by mobile network operators should not come at the expense of poor consumers who run the risk of being charged more for data services. 

Indeed, in a country with one of the highest inequality levels in the world, and an unemployment rate of 42 percent, there are concerns that continued load shedding is contributing to inequality and deepening the digital divide. Lower-income households have resorted to staying up until midnight waiting to benefit from “internet happy hours” where data packages are offered at cheaper rates than daytime packages.

Money Spent on Mitigating Load Shedding Could be Used to Expand Rural Access

Telecommunications service providers have not been spared from the consequences of the power cuts. The country’s second-largest mobile operator – MTN South Africa – reportedly spent ZAR 6.6 billion ( USD 360 million) on improvements to its network in 2023. Competitor, Vodacom, is set to increase its annual infrastructure spend to  ZAR 12 billion (USD 654 million) to strengthen its network. The investments will go towards back-up power systems (additional batteries, fuel and generators, and alternative energy sources) at their base stations and data centres. In addition, operators face increased security costs, due to theft and vandalism at their sites including the potential theft of high-capacity batteries which can fetch high values on the black market. 

The investment into back-up systems and batteries is key as longer periods of load shedding often result in batteries not charging sufficiently, affecting network availability, particularly in rural areas.  ICASA was recently taken to task by Members of Parliament for not conducting effective oversight in ensuring access to adequate network coverage. It was noted that service providers generally take their time to get to rural areas when there is a breakage or theft of cables or batteries, which undermines network stability in affected communities. The Select Committee Chair on Public Enterprises and Communication highlighted that internet access “is now no longer a matter of privilege but rather a right to have reliable signal” adding that ICASA needs to be firm and ensure that communications services are consistently provided. 

However, further challenges remain in rural areas which still face insufficient infrastructure deployment. Network operators concede that ongoing load shedding diverts much-needed capital away from rural infrastructure projects and new technologies. Concerns have also been raised on the negative impact to consumers, who will likely carry the additional costs through higher tariffs. Higher income earners have invested in fibre and wireless solutions to maintain connectivity during load shedding, but this comes with the additional costs of installing uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Some experts suggest that satellites, coupled with alternative energy sources, may be more resilient during higher stages of load shedding, or in the event of a total grid collapse. 

Industry stakeholders, through the Association of Comms and Technology have been lobbying for increased government support through policy reform and fuel subsidy rebates in order to avert a digital doomsday scenario where digital networks fail as a result of ongoing power cuts. The industry eagerly awaits the outcome of the ICASA committee on the impact of load shedding on the communications sector, which will hopefully also provide some relief to South African internet users.

18Dec

CIPESA Joins Call Urging Content Platforms to Share Data with African Elections Researchers

Author CIPESA Posted on

Statement | 

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) has joined  over fifty media and research stakeholders from across Africa in calling for social media platforms to give equal treatment to Africans in line with what is being offered to researchers in major jurisdictions outside the continent. This call is based on the urgent need to monitor and formulate joint mitigation responses to disinformation and hate speech, given the elections in nearly 20 countries in Africa over the course of 2024.

The stakeholders making this call for parity in data access were brought together in Cape Town, South Africa, in November 2023 by Research ICT Africa (RIA) and International Media Support (IMS). 

The discussions by these stakeholders, coming from 11 African countries, noted that platforms provide space for public discourse, and serve as an important avenue for both access to, and sharing of, elections data and information. But the stakeholders noted that the platforms are also sites for amplifying potentially harmful online content that corrupts elections, threatens journalists, increases polarisation, and incites violence during or after the polls. 

The organisers invited X (Twitter), Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp), Google (owner of YouTube), and TikTok to be part of the discussions, but representatives of these platforms did not attend. The call remains for these global tech companies to join such discussions in the future and to make their application programming interfaces (APIs) open and available to African researchers as a way of building trust, and working on joint responses or actions on misinformation and disinformation. 

The discussions recognised that long-standing African accords do provide for accessing information during elections, as agreed by the African Union’s African Commission on Human Peoples’ Rights. The stakeholders proposed that these resources be linked to further pan-African instruments on data and on elections, in order to ensure improved data access and governance on a continental scale.

RIA and IMS are encouraging further multi-stakeholder dialogues among more actors at the country level focused on using big data to research both positive and negative dimensions of platforms in regard to the integrity of African elections and online content. More specifically, the meeting emphasised research aimed at studying how organised networks and large language model-based generative artificial intelligence (AI), and other forms of AI-based technologies, are impacting the polls.

On a related matter, the stakeholders encourage the European Commission and Digital Services Coordinators to ensure that researchers and research institutions outside the European Union, including on the African continent, can gain access to platforms’ APIs and search engines’ data under the European Digital Service Act’s (DSA) Article 40.  

More concretely, this means ensuring that researchers not based in the EU are eligible to become “vetted researchers” as defined by the DSA when conducting research that contributes to “the detection, identification, and understanding of systemic risks in the Union.” These steps would strengthen inclusivity and diversity by taking into consideration the DSA’s global potential and impacts.

The discussions recognised that public interest access to data held by the platforms is not at the expense of personal data protection, and that the two objectives are not mutually exclusive.

Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC), Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), Digital Action, Paradigm Initiative, Somali Media Women Association (SOMWA) and OpenUp  express support for the momentum of national dialogues on these topics. 

To add your organisation’s name, or for further information, please email: [email protected]

Originally published on Research ICT Africa. See here.

18Dec

Growing the Capacity of  Journalists and Advocates to Tackle Electoral Disinformation in Congo

Author CIPESA Posted on

By Nadine Kampire and CIPESA Writer |

The lead up to the December 2023 general elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has seen an exponential growth in disinformation, particularly on social media. In a country with long-standing armed conflicts and where only one peaceful transfer of power has been witnessed in 63 years of independence, the deluge of disinformation threatens to deepen social division, undermine electoral integrity, and stoke post-election violence.

While journalists can play a critical role in countering falsehoods by providing accurate and unbiased information to the public, many Congolese journalists lack the skills and resources to identify, fact-check, and call out disinformation and hate speech. On the other hand, some mainstream media houses – particularly those owned by politicians – are actively disseminating disinformation and hate speech.

Ahead of the elections, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) worked with Congolese partners to build the capacity of journalists, activists and fact-checkers to fight disinformation. The engagements centred on tackling electoral disinformation as well as disinformation and hate speech related to the armed conflict in eastern parts of Congo.

Peace has eluded the Congo for decades. Much of the political turbulence and armed conflict has stemmed from the unwillingness of leaders to relinquish power, the run-away corruption, a central government that lacks control over large swatches of its territory, and the proliferation of armed groups in areas where the central government is absent.

In turn, politicians, armed groups and their allies exploit the social and economic challenges to stoke  tension by manipulating public opinion to generate support for their extremist political views or groups and channelling the public anger to promote hate speech and disinformation to further escalate the ethnic and regional conflicts. 

The December 20, 2023 presidential election has attracted 20 candidates, including the incumbent, Felix Tshisekedi, who is standing for his second and final term. His first term has been dogged by the M23 rebellion in the east of the country, which Congo says is supported by the Rwanda government, with whom the former broke diplomatic ties. 

In late 2022, CIPESA convened a meeting for Congolese and Rwandan journalists and digital rights activists to discuss how they could play a more effective role in countering disinformation in the conflict between the two countries. That meeting gave journalists and activists an intimate understanding of the nature of disinformation related to the conflict, its instigators and spreaders, and drew up pathways for the journalists and activists to better combat disinformation. 

In the earlier part of 2023, CIPESA and partners conducted interviews among journalists and human rights defenders in eastern Congo and border areas in Rwanda, including those involved in earlier capacity development engagements. From their accounts, it was apparent that conflict-related disinformation had grown exponentially as armed conflict intensified and relations between Congo and Rwanda further deteriorated. On the other hand, as elections drew closer, electoral disinformation bloomed too. Worryingly, journalists and government officials were among the main instigators and agents of disinformation.

The interviews indicated that the information war in the country had expanded. The country’s long history of political instability has created an environment where misinformation, disinformation and hate speech thrive, particularly on social media. As a result, social cohesion continues to be undermined, while armed conflict is fuelled. Divisions among the country’s diverse ethnic groups, and the deterioration of diplomatic relations with Rwanda, contributed to escalating tensions and hostility. 

Last July, CIPESA again gathered journalists, human rights defenders and civil society players from Congo and Rwanda in the border town of Rubavu to grow their capacity and draw up efforts to counter electoral disinformation and hate speech. As media consultant Pascal Chirhalwirwa told the meeting, while it required commitment to combat the spread of disinformation, journalists and social media influencers had a primary role to fact-check news and create awareness about disinformation. Chirhalwirwa said unless digital literacy is created among community members by trusted actors such as independent journalists, efforts to fight disinformation will attain limited results.

Sammy Mupfuni, director of the fact-checking agency Congo Check, stated that electoral disinformation had raised tensions in communities, adding that several content creators and media houses had aligned themselves with factions on whose behalf they disseminated disinformation.

Many media houses in Congo are owned by politicians, many of whom shamelessly use them to promote partisan interests, including through the use of disinformation. The fact that many media houses struggle to maintain commercial viability means they are easily compromised to propagate disinformation and hate speech. The long-established, widespread, and corrupt practice of coupage, whereby journalists receive a cash payment for covering an event or reporting certain information, is funnelling disinformation narratives even in mainstream media.

Instigators of disinformation mostly use social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, to mobilise support along ethnic lines, to discredit rival candidates and parties, to try and disenfranchise voters, and in some cases promote violence against groups of minorities or their political opponents. Indeed, labelling rivals “fake Congolese” or “candidate of the aggressor country” has been commonplace.

The weak media environment in the DR Congo and low media literacy among citizens enable the spread of false information without being challenged or fact-checked. 

Whereas CIPESA’s engagements during 2022 and 2023, alongside initiatives such as  Afia Amani, Congo Check and Blogoma are working to push back against disinformation, to promote community awareness about the problem and to promote digital literacy, particularly in eastern Congo, their reach remains limited given the enormity of the problem and the resources which disinformation promoters possess.

Similarly, media houses still keen on providing truthful information struggle to match the speed at which conflict- and elections-related disinformation spread due to limited skills and funding. Enhancing editorial guidance on the part of local media outlets and journalists also remains a need, as is building the capacity of a larger movement of journalists, independent content creators and activists that are able to fact-check, promote professional journalistic ethics, undertake digital literacy for citizens, and speak out loudly against the vice of disinformation in the country.

18Dec

Congo Heads to the Polls: Why it is Crucial to Keep the Internet On

Author CIPESA Posted on

By CIPESA Writer |

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) heads to general elections on December 20, 2023 amidst considerable turbulence, including a deluge of disinformation and endemic insecurity in parts of the country. To move towards building a safer and more democratic society, the Congolese government must break away from its past practice of limiting internet access and commit to keeping the internet accessible ahead of, throughout and after the election period.

For more than a decade, network disruptions have been a hallmark of elections in the DR Congo, Africa’s fourth most populous country. The first network disruption, which affected Short Messaging Services (SMS), was witnessed in December 2011, following disputed elections. The government claimed the move was necessary to prevent the online spread of fake results prior to the official announcement by the electoral commission.

Three years later in January 2015, the Congolese government again ordered telecommunications companies to block access not only to SMS but also the internet. This shutdown came on the backdrop of protests against a proposed electoral bill. Whereas banks and government agencies were granted access to the internet four days after the shutdown, the general public did not regain access until after three weeks.

In 2016, the government ordered telecom operators to block access to social media sites as an attempt to thwart mobilising by protestors against then president Joseph Kabila’s stay in office beyond the two-term limit. In January 2018, internet access and SMS were disrupted ahead of a peaceful protest march organised by the Catholic Church to compel Kabila to step down following the expiry of his final term in office. 

The Congolese government again disrupted the internet during the last general elections in December 2018. A senior government official justified the move as necessary to preserve public order after “fictitious results” were circulated on social media. 

Congo faces strong challenges to electoral integrity, including logistical ones such as faulty voters’ cards, poor infrastructure that renders delivery of electoral materials cumbersome, and armed conflict that will likely limit voting in some areas. Moreover, the rampant electoral disinformation has fuelled insecurity and hindered many citizens’ ability to access credible and pluralistic information necessary to make informed and independent choices. 

Opposition leaders have accused the electoral commission of lacking independence and questioned its ability to hold free and fair elections. This has fomented hostilities against the electoral body and its officials and raised the possibility of post-election violence. 

Meanwhile, since November 19, 2023, the Committee to Protect Journalists has documented attacks or threats against at least four journalists and the closure of at least one broadcast station.

Today, a disruption to the internet would exacerbate the challenges of disinformation, incite violence, endanger people’s lives, affect press freedom, and have long-lasting harms on Congo’s economy. Shutdowns provide a shield to those who perpetrate human rights violations, deny people access to critical information, and amplify the spread of misinformation as they block access to alternative sources of verification. The resulting lack of transparency would fuel doubts about the integrity of the elections and heighten the prospects for violence.

Internet shutdowns also violate regional and international frameworks including the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa 2019, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). These frameworks uphold fundamental human rights including freedom of opinion and expression, access to information, right to assembly and social, economic, cultural and political rights.

Indeed, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association has noted that network shutdowns are in clear violation of international law and cannot be justified in any circumstances.

The 2023  election could be a key step in Congo’s move toward a more democratic, tolerant and safe society. How the country handles the election process, including the transparency and integrity of the entire electoral cycle, could determine whether the post-election period will be peaceful and see meaningful social cohesion in the country.

18Dec

CIPESA Launches Framework to Assess ICT Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities in Africa

Author CIPESA Posted on

By Frank Kisakye |

In many instances, persons with disabilities are unable to use digital technologies because these technologies lack “digital accessibility,” namely the ability of a website, mobile application, or electronic document to be easily navigated and understood by a wide range of users, including those with visual, auditory, motor or cognitive disabilities. The issue is especially key in African countries, where persons with disabilities contend with various forms and layers of exclusion, contradicting the potential for inclusion promised by technology despite one of the pillars of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) pledging to “leave no one behind.”

Against this background, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) hosted experts from multiple countries in a webinar to discuss developments pertaining to efforts aimed at enhanced digital inclusion for persons with disabilities. The webinar also served to commemorate the International Day for Persons with Disabilities on December 4, for which CIPESA launched its revised Disability and ICT Accessibility Framework Indicators: A Framework for Monitoring the Implementation of ICT Accessibility Laws and Policies in Africa.

Speaking at the webinar, Dr. Abdul Busuulwa, a lecturer at Kyambogo University Institute for Special Needs (Uganda) and also a CIPESA board member, noted that there are several tools and devices that mitigate barriers to accessibility for users with visual, physical, hearing, intellectual, and psychosocial disabilities. He also highlighted the accessibility guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium which are  aimed at making web content more accessible for persons with visual and hearing impairment, learning disabilities, cognitive limitations, limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity, and combinations of these.

However, the spectrum for ensuring digital access for persons with disabilities is expansive. Titilola Olatunde-Fasogbon, a senior associate at Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie (Nigeria), noted that in addition to the technical aspects of inclusion, such as websites, more deliberate efforts need to be made by stakeholders in the information ecosystem.  Olatunde-Fasogbon pointed out the role of media houses and the need for more investment into meeting the needs of persons with disabilities as part of broadcasting, such as through more sign language interpretation, subtitling, dubbing for non-English speakers or audio-to-text options, as well as provisions for alternate text for non-text content.

She added that governments also need to ensure that policies and laws align to enhance digital inclusion for excluded communities and that they should be at the forefront of driving such policies. Further, that for digital inclusion to be realised for persons with disabilities, civil society organisations must pursue more collaborative efforts with governments as “governments are obligated to offer the much-needed tax-related policies, tax holidays for commercial companies involved in digital inclusion beyond just passing the laws.”

Collaborative efforts were also emphasised by Dr. Diana Msipa, Manager, Disability Unit at the University of Pretoria (South Africa), who stressed that digital inclusion efforts should even be more deliberate for persons with disabilities in rural areas as they face numerous exclusions such as limited availability of infrastructure and public resources, as well as scarce economic opportunities. Dr. Msipa called for more conscious efforts to make it mandatory for governments and organisations to translate adverts, engage sign language interpreters, and use of non-complex language, among other measures, to ensure information reaches audiences often excluded.

Further efforts at Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) also need to be part of narratives on digital inclusion for persons with disabilities, including through more employment opportunities and leadership positions for persons with disabilities. Dr. Karen Smit, Manager of Disability Unit at Vodacom (South Africa) stated that, “Employers should embrace an inclusive culture so that staff with disabilities can feel they belong. Senior leaders must speak about disability, and ongoing awareness raising must be conducted with management and all staff.” 

Dr. Smit noted that solutions for digital inclusion already exist for mainstream devices and called for more stakeholders, including private sector actors, to pursue awareness initiatives and campaigns on their existence.  She noted that  Safaricom – a subsidiary of Vodacom – introduced the Interactive Voice Response (IVR), a mobile money (M-PESA) solution that enables the visually impaired and blind customers to be in control of their M-PESA transactions.

Similar sentiments were expressed in a 2020 CIPESA report – Access Denied How Telecom Operators in Africa Are Failing Persons With Disabilities, which found that while there are various efforts to increase ICT usage in Africa, there is limited information about what telecom companies are doing to promote digital accessibility. 

While there may be efforts aimed at improving digital inclusion, these need to be assessed regularly. CIPESA’s Revised Disability and ICT Accessibility Framework notes that an accessible web also benefits people without disabilities, for example, older people with changing abilities, people using a slow/expensive Internet connection; and people with “temporary disabilities” such as a broken arm or poor eyesight. The framework implores companies, governments, and organisations to conduct a self-diagnosis on whether they meet the threshold of the five broad disability and ICT accessibility framework indicators which include legal and regulatory, accessibility framework for public access, mobile communication accessibility, television, video programming accessibility, and web accessibility.  

The five indicators were informed and crafted around key provisions within national laws, policies, and international human rights instruments on ICT and Disability. Other international ICT Accessibility standards, such as The Web and Mobile Content Accessibility Guidelines developed by the World Wide Web Consortium, informed the indicators.

It is anticipated that this framework will be useful for monitoring and measuring public and private stakeholders’ compliance and implementation of inclusion obligations and inform research, advocacy, and capacity building on ICT for persons with disabilities in the region. 

In addition, the assessment informs planning for different interventions at country and regional levels since it reveals areas that need further interventions. It can also highlight good practices that can help inspire other countries that may still be far in the journey or still struggling with certain aspects of improving their disability digital rights.

Panelists encouraged Disability Rights Organisations, policymakers, mobile network operators, researchers, and academia interested in advancing the rights of persons with disabilities to utilise the framework as a key pillar in their digital accessibility and inclusion efforts.

Here is the Disability and ICT Accessibility Framework Indicators: A Framework for Monitoring the Implementation of ICT Accessibility Laws and Policies in Africa

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