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25Mar

Uganda Moves to Register Online Content Providers  

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By Daniel Mwesigwa |
Uganda has become the latest East African country to threaten access to information and free speech online by putting in place measures that require the registration of online content providers. In a notice issued earlier this month, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) called for online publishers, news platforms, radio and television operators to “apply and obtain authorization” for provision of services.
Without specifying the requirements necessary for application, the UCC indicates that within a month of issuance of the notice, measures will be enforced against non-compliant service providers and this “may entail directing Internet Service Providers (ISP) to block access to such websites and/or streams.”
The UCC is mandated under Section 5 of the Uganda Communications Act 2013 (UCC Act) to monitor, inspect, license, supervise, control and regulate all communications services. This mandate extends to audio, visual or data content production or dissemination through traditional broadcast media as well as internet based platforms.
According to the notice, registration of the various operators which the UCC classifies as “online data communication and broadcast content providers”, is within the regulator’s mandate to set standards and enforce compliance relating to content.
Over the years, UCC’s regulatory role has come under criticism over its lack of independence. Its establishing Act gives powers to the minister in charge of ICT to appoint the commission’s executive director and board members and to approve its budgets.  In April 2017, the parliament of Uganda passed the Uganda Communications (Amendment) Bill (2016) which further gave the minister the power to single handedly make regulations for the sector without parliamentary oversight.
More recently, UCC instructed telecommunications service providers to enforce two social media shutdowns during the presidential elections in 2016, and in September 2017 barred live broadcasts of parliamentary proceedings on the Presidential age limit amendment bill. National security and public safety have been cited as the grounds for the various directives.
There are an estimated 24 million mobile subscriptions and 18.1 million  internet users in Uganda, reflecting an internet penetration rate of 48%. The country has licensed over 40 TV and 300 FM radio stations, many of which maintain online presences through live streaming on platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
Meanwhile, licensed print operators maintain online portals whilst there is a growing number of independent online news publishers and bloggers. Growing media convergence has seen traditional media maintain a dominance online as was witnessed during the Uganda Presidential debate in 2016, where the television stations NTV and NBS TV influenced narrative according to a Twitter sentiment analysis.
However, without regulations in place to guide the proposed registration, it remains to be seen what obligations will be put forth for online content providers and the resultant impact that the registration will have on the country’s growing media landscape as well as the rights of users. Nonetheless, the move is a regressive development for digital rights in the country. It reflects a growing trend in neighbouring countries that are seeking to regulate online content through requirements for registration of users and service providers as well as accreditation to practice journalism.
In 2017, Tanzania published draft regulations on Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content). The proposed regulations confer powers upon the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) to regulate online content, including through registration of users and platforms, and taking action against non-compliance with the obligations, such as ordering the removal of “prohibited content.”
A more targeted avenue has been used in Burundi, through the Press Law of 2015 which calls for all media practitioners to be accredited, including those operational purely in the online domain. A similar stance exists in Rwanda where even social media posts are theoretically regulated by the country’s National Communication Council (CNC).
The move by Uganda, proposed measures in Tanzania and existing practices in Burundi and Rwanda restrict the number of content providers online and thus inhibit the diversity and wider availability of information online. Furthermore, there is the potential for such practices to engender censorship to legitimate content which might be critical of public officials and bodies.

08Nov

Shadow Report on Freedom of Expression Online in Rwanda

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Submission to the ACHPR |
The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) has submitted to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) a shadow report on the state of freedom of expression online in Rwanda.
The report outlines Rwanda’s legislative and related measures taken to promote and protect freedom of expression online, and provides the Commission with impartial information regarding Rwanda’s state of internet freedom and recommendations for improvement.
Article 62 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Charter) requires all States Parties to the charter to submit after every two years, reports on the measures taken to effect the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the charter. Rwanda submitted reports for the period 2009 to 2016 on March 22, 2017. They were reviewed by the commission this week, with civil society groups such as CIPESA providing shadow reports and questions to inform the commission’s review.
In its report, the Rwanda government stated that freedom of the media and the freedom to receive information are recognised and provided for by law, adding that every journalist has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including the right to seek, receive, give and broadcast information and ideas through any media. However, according to CIPESA’s shadow report, various laws and state practices continue to contravene these freedoms, notably constraining their enjoyment online. Surveillance and interception of communications, blockage and filtering of content, are among the problematic issues CIPESA’s shadow report raises
The Rwanda government stated that the access to information law is an entry point to improving journalists’ participation in political affairs and that it recognises the importance of an independent, professional media and ease of access to information as essential components of good governance and a sustainable social, economic and political development. It went on to specify national laws and statutory institutions that safeguard the right to expression and freedom of information.
However, the shadow report notes that the ICT law N° 24/2016 of 18/06/2016, Law No.60/2013 regulating the Interception of Communications, Criminal Procedure Code Law N° 30/2013 of 24/05/2013, and the regulation of SIM card registration of 2013 collectively contain some provisions that undermine freedom of expression online and privacy rights and contravene article 38 of Rwanda’s Constitution, international standards and best practices on freedom of expression, access to information and privacy rights.

As of June 2017, Rwanda’s internet penetration was estimated at 36.6 % (3,724,678 connections) with Facebook users estimated at 490,000, within a total population of 12,159,586. This shows an improvement from statistics recorded by the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA) indicating mobile phone penetration rate of 79% and internet penetration at 33%, as of June 2016.

CIPESA’s report calls for a comprehensive review of all interception and privacy laws and policies to bring them into conformity with constitutional guarantees as well as international human rights standards and best practices on surveillance of communications by setting out clear legal parameters that ensure protection of freedom of expression and privacy rights.
For more details, see the full Shadow Report on Freedom Expression Online in Rwanda  submitted by CIPESA.

11Oct

Forum sur la liberté de l'internet en Afrique 2017 : Notre première participation

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Par Ababacar Diop |
Pour la première participation de Jonction au Forum sur la liberté de l’internet en Afrique (#FIFAfrica17) nous avons été ravi par la qualité de l’espace d’échange et de partage qui nous a été offert.
Organisé annuellement par the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Soutier Arica (CIPESA) depuis 2014 à Kampala en Ouganda, et pour cette année 2017 en partenariat avec the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), à Johannesburg, le forum, s’est concentré sur plusieurs thématiques notamment la protection de la vie privée, l’accès à l’information, la libre expression, la non-discrimination et la libre circulation de l’information en ligne.
Des panélistes de haut niveau nous ont offert l’opportunité d’en apprendre davantage sur les enjeux et défis actuels de la société de l’information et de celui des droits numériques. Des interventions de qualités nous ont permis d’apprendre encore plus des expériences et des bonnes pratiques qui se développent en Afrique.
Nous témoignons, ce forum est un formidable  espace de partage et d’échange d’expérience et de bonnes pratiques. Il permet en outre le renforcement des capacités des acteurs de la société de l’information et des défenseurs des droits numériques. La diversité linguistique en plus de la diversité géographique et de genre des participants constituent un vrai charme et une richesse intellectuelle du forum.
Nous avons appris à travers le forum que le réseautage est fondamental dans la défense des droits numériques. Les acteurs de la société de l’information ont besoin de collaborer et de travailler en synergie pour faire progresser les libertés sur internet, protéger davantage les données personnelles et le droit à la vie privée en ligne, faire face aux menaces qui pèsent sur la liberté d’expression sur internet partout en Afrique et lutter contre les coupures administratives d’internet pour des raisons politiques.
En effet, la présence de divers acteurs d’horizon divers a enrichi les panels et les discussions. Chacun exprimant ses préoccupations, ses expériences et ses objectifs pour une meilleure défense des droits et libertés sur internet. Tant les représentants de gouvernement que ceux de la société civile et du secteur privé chacun dans sa sphère d’activité s’est librement exprimé.
Nous avons également mesuré durant le forum toute l’importance de soutenir la recherche sur l’état de la liberté sur internet. En illustre le moment très fort lors du lancement du rapport annuel de recherche sur l’état de l’Internet en Afrique. Ce fut un intense moment de réflexion sur l’état de la liberté sur internet en Afrique. Ce rapport présentant l’état des lieux de la liberté sur internet en Afrique est si nécessaire pour les acteurs de la société civile africaine pour soutenir et documenter le plaidoyer et la sensibilisation.
Nous avons également appris que la réussite de tout forum repose sur le dynamisme et l’engagement des organisateurs. Nous félicitons ici les organisateurs et organisatrices qui n’ont ménagé aucun effort pour rendre agréable et studieux notre séjour. Toutes nos félicitations au comité d’organisation.
A la lumière de ce qui précède, nous lançons un appel à tous les bailleurs de renforcer leur soutien au Forum sur la liberté de l’internet en Afrique pour une plus grande participation des diverses régions de l’Afrique. La tenue annuelle du forum est d’une importance capitale pour les acteurs africain du Net. Un tel espace de rencontre, d’échange et de mise en réseau est nécessaire pour faire progresser le respect des droits numériques dans notre continent.
Nous lançons également un appel à tous les acteurs de travailler en synergie afin de mener la pression sur nos gouvernements pour le respect de la liberté d’expression sur internet et le respect du droit d’accès à l’information qui sont des piliers nécessaires à toute société démocratique qui aspire au développement économique, social et culturel. L’émergence de nos pays passe nécessairement par le respect des droits numériques.
L’Afrique a besoin de ce forum, l’Afrique doit soutenir le Forum sur la liberté de l’internet en Afrique.
Initialement publié sur le site de Jonction

25May

Zambia’s Mixed Record on ICT Access and Free Expression Online

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By Ashnah Kalemera |
The first-ever Lusaka Internet Forum (LIF17) was hosted in Zambia’s capital on May 10-11 as a platform for discussing the various factors impacting internet use in the country, particularly in driving agricultural sustainability, gender equality and freedom of expression online.
The southern African country presents a mixed record: ICT access is growing (a mobile phone penetration rate of 75% and internet penetration rate of 32%), but is undermined by high data and voice usage costs that entrench the digital divide between men and women and between rural and urban areas. Moreover, while the country is investing in extending services to rural and underserved areas, national laws largely undermine free expression and the communications regulator is criticised for undermining citizens’ rights to free expression.
In the last two decades, Zambia has recorded some firsts on internet use – both positive and negative. In 1996, one of the first documented acts of government censorship of online content in Africa happened when Zambia’s government ordered the take down of content from the online edition of The Post newspaper, after threatening to prosecute the country’s main Internet Service Provider (ISP), Zamnet.


The content was banned under the Preservation of Public Security Act for allegedly containing a report based on leaked documents that revealed secret government plans for a referendum on the adoption of a new constitution. A presidential decree warned the public that anyone caught with the banned edition, including the electronic version, would be liable to prosecution.
Since 1996, a number of interruptions to online communication have been reported. Access to some online news outlets, such as the Zambia Watchdog, has been blocked at different intervals, particularly between 2012 and 2014, over publication of content critical of the government. This alongside physical intimidation, arrests and seizure of devices such as journalists’ laptops and mobile phones. Meanwhile, in August 2016, internet connectivity interruptions were reported during the election period but these could not be verified as deliberately orchestrated by the state or service providers.
Despite these affronts to freedom of expression, in 2014 Zambia was the first African country to implement Facebook’s Free Basics initiative that allows users to access prescribed sites without the need for data. Ongoing initiatives by the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) to promote access include the establishment of ICT training centres, acquisition of equipment for ICT-based learning and examinations under the education ministry, and the development of a computer assembly plant.
This mixed record on ICT access and internet freedom formed the backdrop of the discussions at LIF17, during which participants cited gender barriers, high illiteracy and poverty levels, and high data costs as undermining internet use in the country.


Some participants stated that the country’s laws appear to target curtailing citizens’ rights, and faulted the regulator for lacking independence and failing to protect users from abuses by service providers and government agencies such as the police. “Let’s use the laws progressively not to block access to information or to [unjustifiably] control how the media work,” said a blogger. He noted that the ICT Act of 2009 does not speak to current realities, with some of its provisions criminalising freedom of expression.
There are also widespread perceptions of unwarranted surveillance of citizens’ online communications. The right to privacy is threatened by the mandatory registration of SIM cards provided for under the ICT Act and the Statutory Instrument on the Registration of Electronic Communication Apparatus of 2011. Registration requires subscribers to provide their personal details and identity cards, in the absence of a data protection and privacy law.
The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act of 2009 provides for lawful interception of communications upon issuance of a court order, and online monitoring of information in the public domain. Nearly 15 years since tabling a draft freedom of information bill, it is yet to be enacted.
Meanwhile, activists criticised the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) director general for misusing their extensive powers to curtail media freedom. Last August, the IBA suspended the broadcasting licences for Muvi TV, Komboni Radio and Itezhi Tezhi Radio for “unprofessional conduct posing a risk to national peace and stability”. Activists also reported increasing attacks on individuals who use radio and TV stations to voice opinions critical of the government.
As such, following the LIF17, CIPESA led an ICT policy training workshop for human rights defenders, activists, media and social media enthusiasts to increase their understanding of relevant ICT policies in Zambia and how these affect human rights online. The workshop entailed developing their strategies in advocating for a free, open and secure internet through the innovative use of both traditional and new media.
During the training, participants were taken through mechanisms for policy engagement such as stakeholder submissions, the analysis of bills and continued activism and campaigns online including through documentation and reporting of internet freedom violation incidents.


LIF17 was organised by the Swedish Embassy in Zambia and partners including the Zambia Governance Foundation as a satellite event in the lead up to the Stockholm Internet Forum. Thematic sessions on agriculture, gender, and freedom of expression were hosted by the technology innovation hub Bongo Hive, the Asikana Network, the Swedish Programme for ICT in Developing Regions (Spider) and CIPESA.
Read more about internet freedom in Zambia in CIPESA’s State of Internet Freedom in Zambia 2016 report.
CIPESA’s work in Zambia is supported by AccessNow and the Mozilla Foundation.
 

24Jan

Open Letter To Cameroonian Government On Internet Connectivity In Anglophone Regions

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Open Letter |
On January 22, 2017, Civil Society Organizations from around the world sent the following open letter to The President of Cameroon, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, and Minister of Communication, on ongoing Internet blackout in anglophone regions of the country.

Internet Sans Frontières - CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 FR

Internet Sans Frontières – CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 FR

Re: Internet Connectivity in the Republic of Cameroon
Your Excellencies,
We are writing to urgently request that you restore Internet access in the South West and North West regions of Cameroon. Multiple reports, including ours, indicate that your government ordered operators to block communications over the internet in the anglophone regions of the country. [1]
We implore you to keep the internet on.
Research shows that internet shutdowns and violence go hand in hand. [2] Shutdowns disrupt the free flow of information and create a cover of darkness that allows repression to occur without scrutiny. Worryingly, the Republic of Cameroon would be joining an alarming global trend of government-mandated shutdowns around election issues, a practice that many African Union member governments have recently adopted, including:  Burundi, Congo-Brazzaville, Chad, Gabon, Egypt, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Niger, Democratic Republic of Congo. [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9]

Internet shutdowns — with governments ordering the suspension or throttling of entire networks, often during elections or public protests — must never be allowed to become the new normal.

Justified for public safety purposes, shutdowns instead cut off access to vital information, e-financing, and emergency services, plunging whole societies into fear and destabilizing the internet’s power to support small business livelihoods and drive economic development. In addition, a study by the Brookings Institution indicates that shutdowns drained $2.4 billion from the global economy last year. [10]
The Internet shutdown imposed in anglophone territories of Cameroon will hit hard on the burgeoning digital economy, which is blossoming in Cameroon’s Silicon Mountain, Buea. [11]
International Law
A growing body of jurisprudence declares shutdowns to violate international law. The United Nations Human Rights Council has spoken out strongly against internet shutdowns. In its 32nd Session, in July 2016, the Council passed by consensus a resolution on freedom of expression and the internet with operative language on internet shutdowns. The resolution, A/HRC/RES/32/13, « condemns unequivocally measures to intentionally prevent or disrupt access to or dissemination of information online in violation of international human rights law and calls on all States to refrain from and cease such measures. » The Council intended this clear declaration to combat the blocking and throttling of networks, applications, and services that facilitate the freedoms of expression, opinion, and access to information online. In addition, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights stated in its November 2016  Resolution on the Right to Freedom of Information and Expression on the Internet in Africa that it was “Concerned by the emerging practice of State Parties of interrupting or limiting access to telecommunication services such as the Internet, social media and messaging services, increasingly during elections.” [12]
In 2015, various experts from the United Nations (UN) Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Organization of American States (OAS), and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), issued an historic statement declaring that internet “kill switches” can never be justified under international human rights law, even in times of conflict. [13] General Comment 34 of the UN Human Rights Committee, the official interpreter of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, emphasizes that restrictions on speech online must be strictly necessary and proportionate to achieve a legitimate purpose. Shutdowns disproportionately impact all users, and unnecessarily restrict access to information and emergency services communications during crucial moments.
The internet has enabled significant advances in health, education, and creativity, and it is now essential to fully realize human rights including participation in elections and access to information.
We humbly request that you use the vital positions of your good offices to:

  • Ensure that the internet connectivity, including social media, is restored in the anglophone regions of the republic of Cameroon in the coming period
  • Publicly declare your commitment to keep the internet on, including social media
  • Encourage telecommunications and internet services providers to respect human rights, including through public disclosures and transparency reports.

We are happy to assist you in any of these matters.
Sincerely,

  • Access Now
  • Internet Sans Frontières
  • Internet Sans Frontières-Togo
  • Africtivistes
  • Cameroon Ô Bosso
  • Droit au Droit
  • Réseau des blogueurs du Burkina Faso
  • Réseau Panafricain des Défenseurs des Droits Humains
  • Afrika Youth Movement
    Voice of Women Initiative
    Coexistence with Alternative Language and Action Movement- Tunisia
  • The Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)
  • Pen Plus Bytes
  • Unwanted Witness Uganda
  • Center for Media Research
  • Media Foundation for West Africa
  • Campaign for Human Rights and Development
  • African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX)
  • Center for Democracy and Technology
  • Paradigm Initiative Nigeria
  • Internet Freedom Forum
  • ADISI-Cameroun
  • Société des Amis de Mongo Beti (SAMBE)

Notes:
[1] Julie Owono, Regional Internet Blackout In Cameroon (Report by Internet Sans Frontières, 20 January 2017) <http://internetwithoutborders.org/fr/regional-internet-blackout-in-cameroon/
[2] Sarah Myers West, ‘Research Shows Internet Shutdowns and State Violence Go Hand in Hand in Syria’ (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 1 July 2015) <https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/06/research-shows-internet-shutdowns-and-state-violence-go-hand-hand-syria> accessed 18 February 2016.
[3] ‘Access urges UN and African Union experts to take action on Burundi internet shutdown’ (Access Now 29 April 2015) <https://www.accessnow.org/access-urges-un-and-african-union-experts-to-take-action-on-burundi-interne/> accessed 18 February 2016.
[4] Deji Olukotun, ‘Government may have ordered internet shutdown in Congo-Brazzaville’ (Access Now 20 October 2015) <https://www.accessnow.org/government-may-have-ordered-internet-shutdown-in-congo-brazzaville/> accessed 18 February 2016.
[5]  Deji Olukotun and Peter Micek, ‘Five years later: the internet shutdown that rocked Egypt’ (Access Now 21 January 2016) <https://www.accessnow.org/five-years-later-the-internet-shutdown-that-rocked-egypt/> accessed 18 February 2016.
[6] Peter Micek, ‘Update: Mass internet shutdown in Sudan follows days of protest’ (Access Now, 15 October 2013) <https://www.accessnow.org/mass-internet-shutdown-in-sudan-follows-days-of-protest/> accessed 18 February 2016.
[7] Peter Micek, ‘Access submits evidence to International Criminal Court on net shutdown in Central African Republic’(Access Now 17 February 2015) <https://www.accessnow.org/evidence-international-criminal-court-net-shutdown-in-central-african-repub/> accessed 18 February 2016.
[8] ‘Niger resorts to blocking in wake of violent protests against Charlie Hebdo cartoons.’ (Access Now Facebook page 26 January 2015) <https://www.facebook.com/accessnow/posts/10153030213288480> accessed 18 February 2016.
[9] Peter Micek, (Access Now 23 January 2015) ‘Violating International Law, DRC Orders Telcos to Cease Communications Services’ <https://www.accessnow.org/violating-international-law-drc-orders-telcos-vodafone-millicon-airtel/> accessed 18 February 2016.
[10] Darrell West, (Brookings Institution, October 2016) “Internet shutdowns cost countries $2.4 billion last year”https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/intenet-shutdowns-v-3.pdf
[11] Julie Owono, Cameroon’s Reflection on the “false news” debate stirs censorship fears (Report by Internet Sans Frontières, 22 November 2016) <http://internetwithoutborders.org/fr/cameroonian-governments-dangerous-stance-against-a-free-and-open-internet/
[12] African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, (November 2016) ‘362: Resolution on the Right to Freedom of Information and Expression on the Internet in Africa – ACHPR/Res. 362(LIX) 2016’ http://www.achpr.org/sessions/59th/resolutions/362/
[13] Peter Micek, (Access Now 4 May 2015) ‘Internet kill switches are a violation of human rights law, declare major UN and rights experts’ <https://www.accessnow.org/blog/2015/05/04/internet-kill-switches-are-a-violation-of-human-rights-law-declare-major-un&gt; accessed 18 February 2016.
Originally published here – French Version available here

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