Insights – Akijul

Senegal: Govt Restricts Internet As Protests Escalate

Unrest continued on Friday amid mixed reports of restricted internet access in Senegal. Senegalese police and supporters of detained opposition leader Ousmane Sonko returned to the streets following unrest on Thursday that left one person dead. Internet monitor NetBlocks said social media and messaging apps including Facebook, WhatsApp, and YouTube had been restricted early on Friday ahead of a planned demonstration by civil society and opposition parties.
Source: AllAfrica/DW

TOGO: Legality of Forced Internet Shutdowns

Are such blanket shutdowns legal? In 2020, the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was faced with precisely this question. Seven human rights NGOs (including Amnesty International Togo), and a journalist made an application to the ECOWAS Court. The Court held that access to the internet is a derivative right of the freedom of expression. It stated:
“Right to internet access is closely linked to the right of freedom of speech which can be seen to encompass freedom of expression as well. Since access to the internet is complementary to the enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression, it is necessary that access to the internet and the right to freedom of expression be deemed to be an integral part of human rights that requires protection by law and makes its violation actionable.”
Source: Indiatimes

Nigeria: MTN Nigeria tops Revenue List as Pandemic drives Data Sales

MTN Nigeria expanded revenue by 15 per cent on the back of over a half rise in data income to N332.413 billion. MTN Nigeria Telecommunications Plc, the Nigerian operation of Johannesburg wireless operator MTN, said it achieved a record turnover of N1.346 trillion for the financial year 2020, making it the biggest public company by revenue in Africa’s largest economy. “Adoption of our data and digital services accelerated as lockdowns and gathering restrictions were imposed, and work-from-home became the norm for many,” said the Chief Executive.
Source: Premium Times

Kenya: FirstWave partners with Moja Access to Improve Internet Connectivity

Cybersecurity company, FirstWave, has announced the signing of a three-year Level 1 Partner Agreement with Moja Access, a pan-African technology company. The partnership aims at making commercially driven investments to improve and increase connectivity and internet access in Sub-Saharan Africa. Internet users across African nations can now be protected on CSquared’s network from cyber intruders for consumption, at an affordable monthly price. CSquared currently operates fibre and last-mile WiFi networks in several cities across Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and Liberia.
Source: Hapakenya

Uganda: Karamoja gets App to monitor Human Rights abuses in Mines

Community volunteers in Karamoja Sub-region have been equipped with digital tools to monitor human rights violations in mining fields. Advocates for Natural Resource and Development (ANARDE) in conjunction with Avocats Sans Frontieres (ASF) in Mbale District provided the tools and training which covered key areas of environment, human rights, gender equality, benefits of sharing, and natural resource management. They were equipped with digital smartphones for field monitoring, and are coordinated centrally with an ODK Kobo Collect App to ensure accuracy and consistency.
Source: The Daily Monitor.

Uganda Hits 18 Million Internet Users; 3 million on Facebook.

Latest statistics indicate that Uganda has 3,328,000 Facebook subscribers out of 18 million total internet users as of December 2020. Egypt has 48 million Facebook users, followed by Nigeria at 31 million. In East Africa, Kenya leads the pack with 10 million Facebook users, according to Internet World Stats. However, African internet users are only 11.5% of the world total.
Source: The Independent.

INTERNATIONAL

India court tackles free speech online

India’s top court on Friday asked for the government and Twitter’s response to a petition seeking greater regulation of content on social media platforms amid a debate over free speech. The case comes during a growing standoff between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government and Twitter, after the company refused to fully comply with orders to remove certain accounts that were critical of the government’s handling of months long farmer protests. Details here.

Source: AP

Parler back online after accepting to implement controls.

The right-wing friendly social network Parler, which was forced offline following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, says it is re-launching. It has been struggling to return online since Amazon stripped it of web-hosting service on Jan. 11 over its unwillingness to remove posts inciting violence. Google and Apple removed Parler’s app from their online stores for the same reason. Parler accepted use technology and human review to remove “threatening or inciting content.” They said a “community jury” headed by a Parler employee would hear appeals. Full story here.

Source: AP

Facebook Blocks Australians From Viewing And Sharing News.

Facebook announced Thursday it has blocked Australians from viewing and sharing news on the platform because of proposed laws in the country to make digital giants pay for journalism. Australian publishers can continue to publish news content on Facebook, but links and posts can’t be viewed or shared by Australian audiences, the U.S.-based company said in a statement. Details here.

Source: AP

Internet Censorship, Control Expanded

The Cambodian government’s new National Internet Gateway will enable the government to increase online surveillance, censorship, and control of the internet that will seriously infringe on rights to free expression and privacy. Prime Minister Hun Sen signed the sub-decree on the Establishment of the National Internet Gateway. The sub-decree requires all internet traffic in Cambodia to be routed through a regulatory body charged with monitoring online activity before it reaches users. Details here.

Source: Human Rights Watch

AFRICA

Africa Mules Taxing Big Tech

Africa is losing massive revenue, according to a tax report by British non-governmental organization ActionAid International. It states that 20 countries in the global south c including 12 countries in sub-Saharan Africa — could be missing out on up to $2.8 billion (€2.3 billion) in tax revenue from some of the three big tech companies alone: Facebook, Microsoft, and Google’s parent company, Alphabet. Full story here.

Source: Deutsche Welle

Internet connectivity a priority

South Africa’s government is to revise its connectivity programme from connecting health and schools to connecting homes. Access to affordable fast speed broadband is to be made a priority as it has become a basic service like water and electricity. Participating in a debate on the State of the Nation address, the Minister of Small Business Development. Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said, “the pandemic has showed everyone that the 4^th industrial revolution is not still coming — it is here. See details here.

Source: SA News

Namibia boosts internet infrastructure

Namibia will receive its second submarine fibre-optic internet cable this year, which promises to enhance the reliability of increased internet bandwidth for the country, and for the rest of southern Africa. The new ‘Equiano’ cable is about 14 000km long, and will span from Portugal to South Africa with nine branching units, of which one branch is Namibia, through Swakopmund. The entire project will be completed by 2022 at a cost of about N$6 billion. Namibia’s investment into the project is about N$260 million. Details here.

Source: Namibian

KENYA: Access to telecom companies expanded

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) will invest KSh1.57 billion (US$14.4 million) to expand access to telecom services in 101 new localities in 17 marginalized counties. As part of the strategy included in Phase 2 of the Universal Service Fund (USF), contracts have been awarded to Safaricom PLC, Airtel Networks Kenya Ltd, American Towers Company (ATC), Seal Towers Limited and Alan Dick & Company Ltd.
Source: ITC & Telecom

TANZANIA: Taxation goes fully digital

Zanzibar will fully embrace electronic fiscal devices (EFDs) effectively this April, with all registered taxpayers to be compelled to use it in their transactions. Minister of State in the President’s Office, Finance and Planning Jamal Kassim Ali told the House of Representatives here on Wednesday that the machines have since October 16, 2020 been on trial, with 150 traders using them in Unguja and Pemba.
Source: Tanzania Daily News