Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa
Cameroon: Report the Anglophone conflict and perish
Journalists who are critical in their reports on the Anglophone conflict, both online and offline, are either jailed or forced to desert the conflict zones and journalism or die in the process.
Kenya and the fallacy of trading individual privacy for national security
When the right to privacy is fractured on a national scale by actions such as surveillance, a myriad of other human rights suffer in a sort of domino effect.
Cameroon: Freedom in chains
Article 113 of the Criminal Procedure Code punishes with imprisonment from three months to three years anyone who issues or spreads false news when such news is likely to harm the public authorities or national cohesion.
Unfreedom Monitor Report: Cameroon
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Cameroon is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
Civil society organisations fight for the right of association in Mozambique
Civil society organisations in Mozambique have set up a protest movement called "In defence of the right to Freedom of Association in Mozambique."
Zimbabwe’s information war on digital platforms threatens free expression
"Digital technology has played a huge role in spreading propaganda and disinformation because these offer a huge platform, which appeals to a large number of people."
Meta's Oversight Board grapples with Facebook and Instagram's opaque content guidelines
If Meta is to continue to be a safe space for human rights defenders, it will have to engage seriously and in good faith with the Oversight Board.
Tanzania’s government makes headway in country’s media reforms
Political observers deduce that the overtures Samia has made thus far are simply a political game plan. While they have strengthened the opposition, they have nonetheless garnered her supporters for the upcoming elections.
How Zimbabwe is building a Big Brother surveillance state
Citizens' belief that the infringement of human and digital rights does not concern them has created fertile ground for the emergence of pervasive surveillance in Zimbabwe.
New stringent legislation threatens data privacy and surveillance protection in Tanzania
A lack of data protection and privacy legislation leaves room for abuse in Tanzania.
Data privacy rights advance in Tanzania under new law, but obstacles remain
While the Data Protection Act offers in safeguarding the privacy of personal data, it raises serious concerns in key areas, such as security breaches and the independence of the Data Protection Commission.
Freedom of expression in Tanzania is on a downward spiral
In Tanzania, freedom of expression is a constitutional right of every citizen that has however been undermined by the continuous passing and enacting of a series of repressive regulations over the years.
Nigerian student arrested after calling First Lady ‘fat from corruption’ on Twitter
Last year, the Nigerian government suspended Twitter for seven months, lifting the embargo in January after Twitter agreed to the conditions made by the government, which further clamps down on the digital rights of Nigerian citizens.
As we enter an era of Elon Musk's Twitter, is it time for us in civil spaces to find alternatives?
Looking ahead, the rest of us must resume the debate about the enormous power we have bequeathed social media platforms and the overdependence on Twitter by those who work in social justice, governance, human rights, and democracy.
Unfreedom Monitor report: Tanzania
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Tanzania is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
An estate under siege: How the press in Zimbabwe is being gagged
Journalists are caught up in the crosshairs of a strategic battle to churn out narratives acceptable to either the state or opposition parties.
Unfreedom Monitor report: Zimbabwe
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Zimbabwe is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
Kenya’s corporate, NGO and public sectors keep violating copyright laws on image rights
Lawsuits for copyright violations against organisations in Kenya’s private and public sectors have been increasing. So has the appropriation of images from current and former employees and customers.
Unfreedom Monitor Report: Sudan
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Sudan is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
How the government in Sudan legalized internet categorizing and content filtering
One regulation obliges telcos to block and filter a list of URLs, and to “daily monitor” the filtering equipment to verify that it is being updated.