Blog – Page 64 of 164 – Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)

22Jul

Call for Proposals: Round Three of the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF)

admin July 22, 2020

Call for Proposals |

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is pleased to issue the third call for proposals to the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF), which supports digital rights work across the continent through flexible and rapid response grants.

The current call is particularly interested in proposals for work related to Covid-19 response measures, how they affect the internet rights landscape, and how to redress any resulting harms to rights and freedoms. This effort is essential because, even in pandemic times, governments must respect rights and not abuse emergency powers. Moreover, many actors need access to credible information and research to inform their own work on awareness-raising and holding authorities to account during and in the aftermath of Covid-19.

Digital technologies are playing a role in enhancing Covid-19 disease surveillance, coordinating response mechanisms, and promoting public awareness. However, some technology-based response measures could harm the enjoyment of digital rights, particularly the right to privacy and personal data protection, freedom of expression and association online during and post- Covid-19. Indeed, since the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, CIPESA and a number of digital rights organisations have taken a keen interest in issues of misinformation, censorship and surveillance.

However, while the current scenario requires proactive and sustained digital rights advocacy, many digital rights organisations, especially smaller ones, need funds to sustain their work, credible research to inform their engagements, and support for their advocacy campaigns.

Launched in April 2019, the ADRF supports organisations and networks to implement activities that advance digital rights, including advocacy, litigation, research, policy analysis, movement building, digital literacy and digital security skills building. The inaugural round of ADRF awarded USD 65,000 to 10 initiatives advancing digital rights in Algeria, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The second call for applications saw a total of USD 152,000 awarded to 14 initiatives that are advancing digital rights through various projects in 18 African countries – Algeria, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Somaliland, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Grant amounts for this round will range between USD 1,000 and USD 20,000, depending on the need and scope of the proposed intervention. The ADRF strongly encourages cost-sharing. The grant period will not exceed six months.

The deadline for submissions is Friday August 7, 2020. Read more about the ADRF round three guidelines here. The application form can be accessed here.

the-africa-digital-rights-fund-le-fonds-africain-pour-les-droits-numeriques

22Jul

Appel à propositions: troisième tour du Fonds africain pour les droits numériques (FADN)

admin July 22, 2020

Appel à propositions |

La Collaboration sur les Politiques Internationales des TIC pour l’Afrique orientale et australe (CIPESA) a le plaisir de lancer le troisième appel à propositions au Fonds africain pour les droits numériques (FADN), qui soutient le travail sur les droits numériques à travers le continent grâce à des subventions à réponse rapides et flexibles.

L’appel en cours s’intéresse en particulier aux propositions de travaux liés aux mesures de réponse à la Covid-19, à la manière dont elles affectent le paysage des droits sur Internet et à la réparation des atteintes aux droits et libertés qui en résultent. Cet effort est essentiel car, même en période de pandémie, les gouvernements doivent respecter les droits et ne pas abuser des pouvoirs d’urgence. De plus, de nombreux acteurs doivent avoir accès à des informations et à des recherches crédibles pour renseigner leur propre travail de sensibilisation et obliger les autorités à rendre compte pendant et après la Covid-19.

Les technologies numériques jouent un rôle dans l’amélioration de la surveillance de la maladie de Covid-19, la coordination des mécanismes de réponse et la sensibilisation du public. Toutefois, certaines mesures d’intervention basées sur la technologie pourraient nuire au bénéfice des droits numériques, notamment le droit à la vie privée et à la protection des données personnelles, la liberté d’expression et d’association en ligne pendant et après la Covid-19. En effet, depuis le déclenchement de la pandémie de Covid-19, CIPESA et un certain nombre d’organisations de défense des droits numériques se sont vivement intéressées aux questions de désinformation, de censure et de surveillance.

Toutefois, alors que le scénario actuel nécessite un plaidoyer proactif et soutenu en faveur des droits numériques, de nombreuses organisations de défense des droits numériques, en particulier les plus petites, ont besoin de fonds pour soutenir leur travail, de recherches crédibles pour éclairer leurs activités et d’appui pour leurs campagnes de plaidoyer.

Lancé en avril 2019, le FADN soutient les organisations et les réseaux pour mettre en œuvre des activités qui font avancer les droits numériques, notamment le plaidoyer, les litiges, la recherche, l’analyse des politiques, la mise en place de mouvements, l’alphabétisation numérique et le renforcement des compétences en sécurité numérique. Le premier tour du FADN a octroyé 65 000 USD à 10 initiatives en faveur des droits numériques en Algérie, au Burundi, en Égypte, en Éthiopie, en Gambie, au Mozambique, en Namibie, au Nigéria, en Sierra Leone, au Sénégal, au Soudan du Sud, en Tanzanie, en Tunisie, en Ouganda, en Zambie et au Zimbabwe.

Le deuxième appel à candidatures a vu un total de 152 000 USD attribué à 14 initiatives qui font progresser les droits numériques à travers divers projets dans 18 pays africains – Algérie, Cameroun, République démocratique du Congo (RD Congo), Éthiopie, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigéria, Rwanda, Somalie, Somaliland, Soudan, Tanzanie, Tunisie, Ouganda et Zimbabwe.

Les montants des subventions pour ce tour se situeront entre 1 000 et 20 000 USD, selon le besoin et la portée de l’intervention proposée. Le FADN encourage vivement le partage des coûts. La période de subvention ne dépassera pas six mois.

La date limite pour les soumissions est le vendredi 7 août 2020. Pour en savoir plus sur les directives du troisième tour du FADN, cliquez ici. Le formulaire de candidature est accessible ici.

21Jul

Ethiopia's New Hate Speech and Disinformation Law Weighs Heavily on Social Media Users and Internet Intermediaries

admin July 21, 2020

By Edrine Wanyama |

In March 2020, Ethiopia enacted the Hate Speech and Disinformation Prevention and Suppression Proclamation to address hate speech and disinformation, which have historically troubled the country. However, whereas government regulation is legitimate to control hate speech, Ethiopia’s new law poses a threat to freedom of expression and access to information online.

The Proclamation appears well-intentioned judging from its objectives. These are stated as: “to protect freedom of expression while suppressing all forms of hatred and discrimination; promote tolerance, civil discourse and dialogue, mutual respect and strengthen democratic governance; and to control and suppress the dissemination and proliferation of hate speech, disinformation, and other related false and misleading information.”

In reality, besides having overbroad and ambitious definitions that are subject to misinterpretation and abuse, the new law also weighs heavily on social media users and intermediaries, and introduces harsh penalties, contrary to international human rights instruments, including articles 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.

The overbroad definitions in the law render it subject to discretionary interpretation by law enforcers such as prosecutors and courts, which creates fertile ground for abusing citizens’ rights to freedom of expression and the right to information. Shortly after it came into force, the law was used to charge journalist Yayesew Shimelis for allegedly attempting to incite violence by spreading false information contrary to article 5 of the Proclamation.

The law holds intermediaries liable for content policing, with article 8 requiring providers of social media services to act within 24 hours to remove or take out of circulation disinformation or hate speech upon receiving notifications about such communication or post.

Further, the law introduces harsh penalisation of hate speech or disinformation over social media accounts with more than 5,000 followers. The punishment prescribed is imprisonment of up to three years and 100,000 birr (USD 2,907), but where violence or a public disturbance occurs as a result of dissemination of disinformation, the punishment is “rigorous imprisonment from two year up to five years”.

The new law – as well as the internet shutdown imposed in the country at the end of June 2020 – go counter to the reform programme introduced by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who took office in early 2018. Indeed, some suggested that the indictment of Shimelis under the new law might be politically motivated.

In a country with a history of severe restrictions to digital rights and freedoms, censorship, as well as persecution and prosecution of journalists, the likelihood for the new law to become a tool of suppression is high.

In this brief, CIPESA outlines the problematic provisions of the Proclamation and calls upon the government to amend or repeal the law.

16Jul

Good News, Bad News: A Story of Internet Shutdowns in Togo And Ethiopia

admin July 16, 2020

By Juliet Nanfuka |

The pushback against internet shutdowns in Africa received a boost last month when the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice ruled that the 2017 internet shutdown in Togo was illegal. This followed another win just over a year ago when, in January 2019, the Zimbabwe High Court ruled that the state-initiated internet shutdown that same month was illegal.

However, barely a week after the ECOWAS ruling, Ethiopia initiated a nationwide shutdown, thus serving a reminder of the persistent threat of internet shutdowns on the continent. Ethiopia has a history of repeated network disruptions, including during national high school exams, but mostly as a means to stifle public protests. Prior to the latest disruption, last year a 10-day nationwide disruption was initiated following the assassination of six top government officials.

The latest disruption comes on the heels of protests triggered by the murder of Hachalu Hundessa, a popular musician and democracy activist. Between January and March 2020, millions of Ethiopians in the western Oromia region were similarly disconnected from the internet and were in the midst of a government-imposed shutdown of internet and phone services and thus could not readily access information, including Covid-19 news.

Ethiopia’s shutdown also bears some traits with the Togolese shutdown of 2017, which was initiated following the announcement of planned anti-government protests by members of the opposition and resulted in internet access being disrupted during September 5–11, 2017. In 2019, the digital rights advocacy group Access Now led a coalition of eight organisations, including CIPESA, in filing an amici curiae (friends of the court) brief in a lawsuit filed by Amnesty International Togo and other applicants.

The ruling by the ECOWAS court acknowledges that the internet shutdown, in addition to being illegal, was also an affront on the right of freedom to expression, echoing a 2016 resolution by the United Nations on the promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the internet. Further, Access Now reports that the court ordered the government of Togo to pay two million CAF (USD 3,459) to the plaintiffs as compensation, and to take all the necessary measures to guarantee the implementation of safeguards with respect to the right to freedom of expression of the Togolese people.

In both Ethiopia and Togo, old habits die hard. Last February, when Togolese citizens went to vote, authorities disrupted access to messaging services (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram) on election day after the polls had closed. The disruption was imposed despite the call by local and international rights groups urging the government to ensure an open, secure, and accessible internet throughout the election period.

A statement issued by the #KeepItOn coalition in the wake of latest disruption noted that the Ethiopian government has a responsibility to protect freedom of expression and access to information rights of all persons in the country, as enshrined in its national constitution, as well as regional and international frameworks including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, to which Ethiopia is a signatory. It added: “The government should be working to make sure Ethiopians connect to the internet, not the contrary.”

Almost two weeks after the disruption was initiated, reports started emerging that internet was partly restore d. Digital rights advocates have noted that disruptions undermine the economic benefits of the internet, disrupt access to essential services such as health care, and often fail to meet the established test for restrictions on freedom of expression and the right of peaceful assembly under the ICCPR.

The network disruption does not help Ethiopia’s reputation which is battling to shake off its autocratic history. The Horn of Africa country, which was due to hold parliamentary elections this August, has since postponed these plans but continues wading through political and economic reforms, some of which impact on internet access and digital rights.

A study of network disruptions in Sub-Saharan Africa showed that the less democratic a government is, the more likely it is to order an internet disruption. Both Ethiopia and Togo are characterised as authoritarian on the Economist Democracy Index.

The decision by the ECOWAS court marks a notch in the push back against internet shutdowns in Sub-Saharan Africa. Other cases against shutdowns have been lodged in various courts, including in Uganda and Cameroon, and serve as reference points for the necessity of strategic litigation in fighting network disruptions. However, judging from the experience of countries like Ethiopia, which have repeatedly disrupted networks, the strategic litigation needs to be complimented by several other efforts in fighting the scourge of shutdowns in the region and to become a thing of the past.

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

30Jun

Afi Edoh

Liad June 30, 2020

CIPESA-Fellow-Afi-Edoh
Togolese technology enthusiast Afi will study digital transformation and the digital economy in Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Togo during the Covid-19 pandemic, to determine value and innovation opportunities as well as challenges.
She is a member of the organising committee of the Internet Governance Forum for Youth in West Africa and has also served on the United Nations Internet Governance Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group (MAG). She holds a Masters and Bachelors in Information Technology from Sikkim Manipal University.

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