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 […] Read more

Announcement | The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is pleased to announce the nine recipients of its 2020 fellowship awards. Introduced in 2017, CIPESA’s fellowship programme aims to increase the quality, diversity and regularity of research and media reporting on ICT, democracy, and human rights in Sub-Saharan Africa.  The […] Read more

By the African Feminism | In 2014, when Uganda introduced a law against pornography, few anticipated that it would largely be used to target and prosecute women, and specifically women whose intimate photos have been shared online without their consent. The Anti-Pornography Act, whose enforcement is spearheaded by a 9-member Pornography Control Committee is mandated to “apprehend and prosecute […] Read more

Press Release | Today, Global Partners Digital (GPD), ARTICLE 19, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), PROTEGE QV and  the Centre for Human Rights of the University of Pretoria jointly launched an interactive map to track and analyse disinformation laws, policies and patterns of enforcement across Sub-Saharan Africa. The map offers a […] Read more

Joint Letters | The African Internet Rights Alliance (AIRA) has expressed deep concern about the use of cybercrimes legislation to restrict rights and freedoms in Kenya and Nigeria. In turn, the alliance has petitioned the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the […] Read more

Joint Letter | The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) has joined 30 international human  rights advocacy groups of the #KeepItOn coalition in urging authorities in Burundi to ensure that the May 20, 2020 elections will be void of any network disruption of digital communications  and to enable voters to freely elect their […] Read more

By Juliet Nanfuka | Globally, in the wake of the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID19), social media has played various roles, such as  filling information vacuums and providing channels for citizens to demand accountability and transparency. In Uganda, the government and other agencies have utilised social media as one of the avenues for disseminating information […] Read more

Statement | To mark World Press Freedom Day 2020, the Collaboration on International ICT for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) joined the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), numerous GFMD members, the International Civil Society Organization on the Safety of Journalists Coalition (ICSO SoJ Coalition), partners, and affiliate networks in launching an emergency appeal for journalism […] Read more

By Daniel Mwesigwa | Many African governments have employed heavy-handed methods in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. These measures, both offline and online, have undermined various rights and there are fears that they might be entrenched after the pandemic subsides. In response, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association and Assembly  has  issued […] Read more

Open Letter | As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the globe, the importance of  technology platforms and their real world impact has never been clearer. The various platforms are being used to communicate, assemble, research the virus, provide mutual aid, and more. This statement notes that many platforms have increased their reliance on automated content moderation […] Read more