Featured stories from December 2019
Stories from December, 2019
Nigerian government orders release of Omoyele Sowore, journalist and human rights activist
Omoyele Sowore was arrested in August on charges of treason, money laundry and harassing President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria. He has been in jail despite court pronouncements ordering his release.
Kenya now has a data protection law. What does this mean for netizens?
Will Kenya’s new data protection law protect the rights of citizens? Or will it serve as a conduit to acquire, store and use data in the digital capitalism food chain?
Has Russia influenced the general elections in Mozambique?
The suspicions about Russia began before the elections with the publication of an electoral poll that gave clear victory for Frelimo.
Interview with Bektour Iskender, co-founder of Kyrgyz outlet under attack for corruption investigation
The story's whistleblower was shot dead in Istambul in November, and Kloop.kg battles a defamation lawsuit.
Ethiopia: Stop hate speech, not free speech
Ethiopia's new hate speech bill aims to "tackle the erosion of the nation’s social cohesion, political stability and national unity." But digital rights advocates say it threatens democracy.
Taxing dissent: Uganda’s social media dilemma
Uganda’s social media tax essentially amounted to an internet shutdown, driving thousands offline and silencing dissent for others.
Ahead of 2020 elections in Ghana, citizens fight against extreme surge in data costs
The increased Communication Service Tax to 9% will create a huge barrier to affordability, increase existing digital inequalities and will be disproportionately felt in rural areas and among women.
Multiple measures failed to control mis- and disinformation in Tunisia's 2019 elections
In light of the lack of transparency from Facebook and a legal void characterizing the regulation of political ads on social media, measures to counter disinformation were inadequate.
Will Algeria disrupt internet access as election day nears?
With protesters taking to social media to spread information about what is happening on the ground, the Algerian authorities repeatedly resorted to disrupting access to networks and social media platforms.
Fact-checking service blames Croatian government for using EU money to fund online portal that spreads disinformation
A web portal infamous for proliferating falsehoods and nationalist hate has received funds slated for support of Small and Medium Enterprises from the European fund for Regional Development.
