By Michael Kaiyatsa and Ashnah Kalemera | On February 3, 2020 Malawi scored a democracy victory when the Constitutional Court nullified the May 2019 presidential elections and ordered for fresh polls within 150 days. In that time, the country will also undergo its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the Human Rights Council, scheduled for May […] Read more

By Simone Toussi | On December 5, 2019, the president of Mali promulgated Law n° 2019-056 on the Suppression of Cybercrime. Although timely and relevant, a number of provisions pose potential threats to privacy and freedom of expression online, especially in view of Mali’s democracy deficits and low press freedom ranking. The new law, applies […] Read more

Joint Call | The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) has joined a call on the Government of Togo to keep digital communications accessible during its upcoming elections. The country goes to the polls on February 22, 2020, marking the first presidential election since the amendment to the Constitution on […] Read more

Par Simone Toussi | Le 5 décembre 2019, le président du Mali a promulgué la loi n° 2019-056 portant Répression de la Cybercriminalité. Bien qu’opportune et pertinente, certaines de ses dispositions constituent des menaces potentielles à la vie privée et la liberté d’expression en ligne, en particulier, compte tenu des défaillances démocratiques du Mali et […] Read more

By Thomas Robertson | YouTube is an important part of African online space because it offers a platform for both traditional media and independent producers to livestream and broadcast multimedia content. Crucially, YouTube comments provide an important channel for social and political discourse in Africa given the high levels of censorship in traditional media. Indeed, […] Read more

By Edrine Wanyama | Strategic litigation has gained recognition as a tool for pushing back against restrictions on rights to privacy, access to information and freedom of expression, assembly and association in the digital sphere in Africa. Notable cases have been recorded in Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Gambia, Zimbabwe, and Sudan. However, litigation for […] Read more

Par Daniel Mwesigwa | Une gamme de fournisseurs de logiciels espions, dont la firme italienne Hacking Team, l’anglo-germanique Gamma Group et l’israélienne NSO Group, ont trouvé un marché ouvert auprès des gouvernements autoritaires et répressifs en Afrique et ailleurs. De même, des campagnes de propagande systématiques conçues par des acteurs fantaisistes – y compris des […] Read more

By Ashnah Kalemera | The second round of the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF) has awarded a total of USD 152,000 to 14 initiatives that will work to advance digital rights in 18 African countries. Among the focus areas of the initiatives are access to information, data protection and privacy, digital economy, Digital Identity (ID), […] Read more

By Thomas Robertson | Twelve years after being among the first African countries to enact data protection legislation, Senegal has published a bill to replace the 2008 Personal Data Protection Law. The Personal Data Protection Bill of 2019 is part of the government’s goal of upgrading the legal and institutional framework of the technology and […] Read more

Par Thomas Robertson | Douze années après avoir été l’un des premiers pays africains à promulguer la législation sur la protection des données personnelles, le Sénégal a proposé un projet de loi pour remplacer la Loi sur la Protection des Données à Caractère Personnel de 2008. Le projet de loi de 2019 portant sur la Protection […] Read more