Announcement | As part of the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) 2018 celebrations at the upcoming Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa 2018 (FIFAfrica18), UNESCO is set to host a session to raise awareness on the intersection of access to information and application of the internet universality indicators. September 28, 2018 will […] Read More

Announcement | The Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa 2018 (#FIFAfrica18) is pleased to announce the participation of the Council of Europe (CoE), through its Cybercrime Division, at the landmark event which is set to take place in Accra, Ghana, at the end of September. The panel aims to contribute to the on-going efforts on […] Read More

By Daniel Mwesigwa | The government of Zambia is set to introduce a daily levy of 30 Ngwee (USD 0.03) on internet voice calls. In a press statement issued after a cabinet meeting on August 12, 2018, the government spokesperson said internet calls through platforms such as Viber, WhatsApp and Skype “threaten the telecommunications industry […] Read More

Statement | There has been widespread concern over newly introduced levies on social media access and mobile money transactions in Uganda, which are widely considered a threat to internet access and affordability, as well as to freedom of expression and access to information. The effects of the taxes that took effect on July 1, 2018, […] Read More

By Lillian Nalwoga | Technology presents various challenges to the protection of human rights such as the lack of adequate avenues to verify authenticity of information shared, violation of the right to privacy, respect to copyright issues and the right to anonymity among others.  With a shrinking civic space in Uganda and Tanzania, Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) need […] Read More

Announcement | Litigation has been recognised as a potentially effective tool in removing restrictions on the free flow of information online in countries with repressive internet regimes. Increasingly, some initiatives are seeking to encourage collaboration among different actors in strategic litigation for a free and open internet. Indeed, various cases in litigation for the respect […] Read More

Policy Brief | Since April 2018, the new Ethiopian government has been undertaking unprecedented political and economic reforms. This follows countrywide protests that forced the former Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn to resign in February 2018, leading to the appointment of a young and charismatic new premier, Abiye Ahmed two months later. Since then, the government […] Read More

Policy Brief | Privacy is a fundamental human right guaranteed by international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in its article 12 and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in its article 17. Further, these provisions have been embedded in different jurisdictions in national constitutions and in acts of […] Read More