Digital Policy Tracker
Africa
When 01.10.2021 Where Nigeria, Africa Who President Buhari, Twitter
On Nigeria Independence’s day, President Muhammadu Buhari talked about the pros and cons of social media platforms, commenting on the Twitter ban since June 5th. According to the president’s speech, the ban was imposed as “some users have misused the platform to organise, coordinate, and execute criminal activities, propagate fake news, and promote ethnic and religious sentiments.” However, the ban initially followed Twitter’s moderation of the president’s account due to the publication of harmful language. President Buhari’s speech further explained that he constituted the Presidential Committee to engage Twitter to solve critical issues, ranging from national security to fair taxation and content moderation. The president’s speech on online content moderation on Nigeria’s Independence Day symbolises the importance and complexity of online regulations, as Twitter is treated almost like a State actor with diplomatic rights in the country.
#twitterban #contentmoderation #socialmediaplatforms
When 30.09.2021 Where Ghana, Africa Who Bank of Ghana
The Bank of Ghana announced that it was launching a new digital currency called the E-cedi. The digital coin will operate in a sandbox interim and hinged on advancing financial inclusion and facilitating trade towards a cash-lite economy. A CBDC in Ghana would aim to introduce a less volatile currency and make the transaction faster and safer. The introduction of E-cedi will nonetheless require a firm commitment from the government to include the unbanked population in the digital economy.
#cryptocurrencies #digital payments #CBDC
When 24.08.2021 Where Ethiopia, Africa Who Ethiopian Government
Ethiopia has begun developing its own social media platform to rival Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. While it does not plan to block these platforms, it announced its goal to build an Ethiopian equivalent of WeChat; the social messaging app is often criticised as a tool by Chinese authorities for monitoring its population. As social media platforms have been used on each side through the armed conflict pitting the Ethiopian federal government against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), there have been multiple unexplained social media shutdowns. For this reason, human rights groups are concerned by the government’s initiative to create a local social media, as they fear it might be used as a tool of surveillance and to shape a patriotic narrative.
#socialmedia #surveillance #censorship
When 08.07.2021 Where eSwatini, Africa Who Governement of eSwatini
Following weeks of pro-democracy protests and civil unrest, the mobile telecommunication company MTN suspended access to social media platforms. The service interruption came after the eSwatini Communication Commission issued the directive to MTN and other operators. The government allegedly shut down internet services to stop citizens from communicating with the outside world after a pro-democracy protest turned violent and the army reportedly tried to repress the demonstrations. Currently, the service has been restored, yet the King’s control over internet access is perceived as a threat to freedom of speech and accountability for violating human rights.
#internetaccess #freedomofspeech #digitalrights
When 14.06.2021 Where Senegal, Africa Who Governement of Senegal
President Macky Sall has called for new legislation to give power to the Senegalese government to regulate social media content. While the president is concerned by the spread of fake news and hate speech online, other government members warn against the risk of censorship and lack of freedom of speech. On this matter, the Minister of Digital Economy and Telecommunication stated that the new legislation would require all the key stakeholders involved in the dynamics of the digital economy. The Senegalese government aims to establish more balanced powers over online content moderation and avoid potential escalations between the President and Social Media companies, similar to the Nigerian case.
#onlinecontentmoderation #hatespeech #socialmedia
When 09.06.2021 Where Nigeria, Africa Who Twitter, Nigerian government, President Buhari
Following the removal of one of President Buhari’s tweets, Nigeria banned Twitter, cutting off 40 million users from the platform. The banned tweet’s veiled threat aimed at separatists in the South. Because of this, Twitter classified it as hate speech and proceeded to remove it. While multiple politicians across the globe have been censored and banned by the company over the past years, it is the first time that content moderation has led to immediate consequences. The ban is considered as endangering the freedom of speech in the country.
#onlinecontentmoderation #freedomofspeech #censorship
When 28.05.2021 Where Uganda, Africa Who Uganda Financial Intelligence Authority
Uganda’s anti-money laundering agency asked the government to implement and enforce regulations in the digital currency industry. The Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA) worked on a campaign to get digital currency firms to register, without much success so far. The call for registration and regulation will aim to reduce cryptocurrency risks linked to scams, money laundering and terrorism financing. Similar regulations are also being discussed and implemented in other countries in the region and other continents.
#cybercrimes #cryptocurrencies #cryptoregulations
When 19.05.2021 Where South Africa, Africa Who South African Competition Commission
The South African Competition Commission drafted a new bill for the Competition Act, No. 89 of 1998, which does not concern small mergers with pre-merger notifications. Yet, with the new bill, "the Commission may, for a period of up to 6 months following the implementation of a small merger, call for the merger to be notified if it believes that the merger may substantially prevent or lessen competition or that it cannot be justified on public interest grounds". The drafting of this bill follows concerns over the regulation of digital markets, where online platforms can sometimes act as markets gatekeepers by acquiring small-yet-innovative startups.
#antitrust #competitionlaw #digitalmarkets
When 07.05.2021 Where Botswana, Africa Who Committee to Protect Journalists
A new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists shows that the government of Botswana hired Israeli and US forensic companies to investigate journalists. The type of techniques used include phone cracking technologies and they have been deployed against journalists, who consequently got harrassed and tortured by the government.
#freedomofexpression, #censorship #surveillance
When 06.05.2021 Where Mauritius, Africa Who Mauritius' ICT authority
The ICT Authority of Mauritius proposed amendments to the country's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) law to regulate social media platforms. Despite being one of the most democratic countries in the continent, the proposed amendments may lead to an "Authoritarian Approach to Internet Architecture". According to the proposed regulation, "through a technical toolset (a proxy server), proposed under section 11, the regulator will be able to identify social media traffic which will then be automatically decrypted, archived, and analysed." Implementing this new measure would be at odds with the existing data privacy laws and constitute an act of mass surveillance, threatening human rights to privacy and freedom of expression.
#socialmedia #onlinecontentmoderation #freedomofexpression
When 06.05.2021 Where Rwanda, Africa Who Rwandan Chamber of Deputies
The Chamber of Deputies of Rwanda adopted a draft law relating to personal data protection and privacy. The introduction of this law aims to protect personal data from being used without consent and setting up systems of accountability and clear obligations for those who control or undertake the processing of such data.
#digitalrights #privacy #dataprotection
When 28.04.2021 Where Kenya, Africa Who PwC, Kenya Revenue Authority
The tax and audits firm PwC Kenya pointed out some ambiguities in the 2021 digital service tax (DST). According to the company, the enforcement of this regulation can result in unnecessary queries from Kenya Revenue Authority and higher prices for digital services. he The scope of digital service tax includes all services provided through a digital platform without regard as to whether the digital platform qualifies as a digital marketplace in line with the definition provided in the primary legislation. Because of this, the regulation could lead to potential adverse business impacts.
#digitalservices #digitaltax
When 25.04.2021 Where Ghana, Africa Who Twitter
Twitter announced by surprise the decision to establish its headquarters in Ghana, as the country supports "free speech, online freedom, and the open internet". The choice has been shocking for many, as other countries in the continent has been traditionally considered as digital hubs or bigger markets. Yet, Ghana has invested quite a lot in its digitalization over the past years. This will be an opportunity to support digital businesses not only internally, but also across Africa.
#socialmedia #digitalhub #twitter
When 10.04.2021 Where Tanzania, Africa Who THRDC, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan
The Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC) urged President Samia Suluhu Hassan to form a special commission to examine media laws, which include the Media Services Act of 2016, Cybercrimes Act of 2015, Electronic and Postal Communications Act of 2010, and Online Contents Regulations of 2000. Under the former President, these laws were enforced to heavily regulate and ban various media outlets. The review of these regulations would allow to better protect freedom of expression in Tanzania.
#digitalregulations #digitalrights #freedomofexpression
When 09.04.2021 Where South Africa, Africa Who South African government, US, Huawei
Regulators in South Africa and the US have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see them collaborate and share ideas. The MoU will initially focus on telecommunications regulation and policy in line with what was described as the "mutual benefit of the two regulators".
It is widely expected the MoU could eventually lead to Huawei being locked out of a key African market. The collaboration will also include "an information exchange and technical cooperation", not only in telecoms but also the wider ICT industry.
#telecommunications #ICT #huawei
When 07.04.2021 Where Guinea, Africa Who Government of Guinea, Global Voice Group
The Telecommunication and Posts Regulatory Authority (ARPT) of the Republic of Guinea and the company Global Voice Group (GVG), will be launching in partnership to build a digital ecosystem regulation platform. The goal of this project is to promote and sustain trust and inclusiveness in the mobile and digital ecosystem for the benefit of all Guineans. The implementation of the platform will start on June 1st and it is considered as one of the biggest efforts in digitalising the country.
#digitalservices #publicsector #platformofservices
When 06.04.2021 Where Tanzania, Africa Who Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan
After the death of president Magufuli, the new Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan reopened previously closed media outlets, which included online television stations. The new presidential order gives hope for a possible review of the 2015’s Cybercrimes act and the Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations (EPOCA), which have often been used to repress digital rights and freedom of expression in Tanzania. So far, the regulations have only been used to stop the spread of rumours on the late president.
#digitalrights #freedomofexpression #fakenews
When 02.04.2021 Where Burkina Faso, Africa Who Bureau against cybercrimes, ECOWAS, EU
Burkina Faso’s Bureau against cybercrimes has receives from the ECOWAS and the EU, new tools to fight the rise of cybercrimes in the region. In Burkina Faso the Internet penetration rate is around 30% according to the latest data from the Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory and the financial damage caused by cybercrime costs more than one billion FCFA in 2020.
#cybersecurity #cybercrimes
When 25.03.2021 Where Kenya, Africa Who Facebook, Kenya Revenue Authority
Facebook will apply a value added tax to advertisers in Kenya who do not confirm whether they are advertising for business purposes. The VAT will be later transfered by Facebook to the Kenya Revenue Authority. This new tax will be enforeced in April, as a consequence of the digital services taxes introduced by the Kenyan governement in February.
#digitalservices #digitaltax #facebookads
When 22.03.2021 Where Nigeria, Africa Who Nigerian Government
The Nigerian government is aiming to train 600 young people, in order to install critical infrastructure across the country and deepen broadband connectivity. This initiative will help the digital development underserved and rural communities.
#criticalinfrastructure #connectivity #digitaltraining
When 04.03.2021 Where Ghana, Africa Who Central Bank of Ghana
Ghana’s Central Bank has launched a regulatory sandbox to prioritize and support the development of blockchain projects in the country. This project will aim at reducing time-to-market for Ghanaian digital financial services firms, as well as allowing regulators to learn quicker about innovators.
One of the focuses of this project is to develop a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and strengthen the fast-rising mobile payments services. Yet, the decision of Ghana’s central bank is at odds with the strict “anti-Bitcoin stance” of neighbouring Nigeria. Debates on the regulation of cryptocurrencies are currently happening across the continent, in order to prevent scams and retain more cryptocurrencies companies.
#fintech #blockchain #cryptocurrencies
When 01.03.2021 Where Kenya, Africa Who Central Bank of Kenya, Kenyan Parliament
The Kenyan parliament is reviewing a bill that aims at regulating mobile loans and the treatment of defaulted credit to protect borrowers from predatory lending. If passed, the bill would bring digital and mobile lenders under the supervision of the Central Bank of Kenya. The push to control the activities of digital lenders comes more than a year after Kenya removed the legal cap on commercial lending rates. The decision to regulate digital and mobile lenders is following a more general trend in regulating and governing digital transactions, in order to reduce fraud.
#fintech #digitaltransactions #mobilepayments
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