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Dan Swinhoe (Africa)- Web Freedom Across Africa

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September 2012
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What you're Saying Kathryn Cave (Global) - Is Facebook Another Britney?

Terrific b log!

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09-26-2012

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Following on from last week's piece on social media across Africa where we touched upon censorship, we delve a little deeper into the sub ject this week. Censorship of the press has b een rife across parts of the glob e for as long as the printing press has b een around, b ut the opportunities the Internet presents for people wishing to b e heard has some governments spooked. Wary of giving people proper freedom on the web , some governments filter the web , and arrest b loggers and over-vocal social networkers without a second thought. But how common is this in Africa? Pub lished this month was Freedom House's 2012 Freedom On The Net report. Studying internet freedom b etween January 2011 and May 2012, the report includes 10 African countries, and on the whole paints a very mixed picture. The worst performer on the continent was Ethiopia. The only African country to b e rated "not free", things have actually gotten worse since the last report. Despite the low penetration of the Internet in the country - somewhere around 1% of the 87 million people who live there have access - "the government maintains a strict system of controls and is the only country in Sub -Saharan Africa to implement nationwide internet filtering." While the results of the Arab Spring in Northern Africa led to on-going change, calls for similar protests led to the strong-arming of journos and b loggers from the government and even stricter web censorship. Laws are incredib ly harsh; life imprisonment and death are the reward for any material judged to b e linked to offenses such as treason, espionage, or incitement, and pub lication of a "false rumor" is punishab le b y up to three years in prison. Journalists and the press have b een regular victims of harassment, b ut b loggers coming under the same pressure is a new twist. Low numb ers of internet users, high costs coupled with poor quality infrastructure that prevent more people from getting online, along with aggressive governing, mean things are unlikely to improve in the near future. At the other end of the spectrum, South Africa and Kenya achieved the highest score, and the only two countries rated as "free". Though for such a developed economy, South Africa has fairly low internet penetration - around 7 million users which equates to ab out 15% - and reducing monopolies and improving infrastructure means that numb er is steadily rising. Overall, South Africa is very free; no internet filtering, access to social media and any other content on the web , and a free press. As SA continues to try and keep up with the BRIC countries, it can

Kathryn Cave (Global) - How Will Todays Skills Shortage Impact Tomorrows CIO?
I agree wholeheartedly with Sunny Lowe. At higher levels for responsib ility, regardless of salary, communications, coaching, and mentoring training is... Rick 09-25-2012

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b oast of b eing one of the most democratically open of them all. However, two b ills making their way through parliament is causing genuine concern among the press, netizens and the greater pub lic. The General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill' would legalize the interception of "any communication that emanates from outside the b orders of the repub lic, or passes through or ends in the repub lic." This means any online messages sent out of the country, even through email or social network, could b e intercepted. Meanwhile, the proposed Protection of State Information Bill' could see any journalists or users of whistle-b lower sites receive a prison sentence of 25 years. Understandab ly this b ill has rankled people, and numerous protests have taken place opposing its passage, which has led to concessions and amendments from the government. One country that does surprisingly well is Zimb ab we. While it hasn't improved on last year's score, it has b een lab elled as "partly free" b y Freedom House. Traditionally known for its lack of press freedom, internet freedoms remain fairly untouched. Bloggers and social media are availab le, and few have b een punished for sharing their views. However, warrants allow ministers to monitor who they like, and the government has reportedly used Chinese assistance to hack into web sites, b ut overall the Internet has not b een adversely affected b y the government. The rest of the African countries in Sub -Saharan Africa; Rwanda, Nigeria, and Uganda have all seen slight improvements since last year's report, testament to the fact that the continent is emb racing the web and all it can offer. Out of the African countries that had major uprisings during the Arab Spring, Tunisia has fared the b est. While still rated as "partly free" b y Freedom House, it has halved it score since the last report, meaning it is twice as free. Since the fall of the Ben Ali regime, Tunisia's internet has opened up massively with social networks, b logging sites and news outlets no longer filtered or censored. According to the report, "Citizen journalism on b logs and Faceb ook pages have proliferated and b ecome a powerful source of critical reporting on any single event." However, within many countries that successfully changed the b alance of power during the uprisings, things remain tense. Laws and apparatus used b y the previous regime for censorship remain in place, though unused and not enforced b y the current government. However, their mere presence concerns people that they could b e b rought b ack at any time, and several b loggers have b een arrested for defamation and insulting Islam. The 2012 Internet Enemies Report from Reporters Without Borders says things are looking good b ut the situation "remains precarious". Egypt, for all the press it received, has actually taken a step b ackwards. While the internet hasn't b een shut off completely since the uprisings, most of the measures of surveillance and arrests remain in place or have gotten stronger. Social media and news outlets are availab le to people, b ut everything they say or do could b e b eing watched. According to RWB, Bloggers and netizens critical of the army have b een harassed, threatened, and sometimes arrested." The army are the main force b ehind the continued restrictions, and one b logger has b een arrested since Mub arak fell. Lib ya seems to b e a similar situation to Tunisia, while Eritrea has gotten much worse. According to RWB, the government is "waging its propaganda war on social networks", attacking opposition web sites and even trying to target over-vocal Eritreans ab road. In the wake of the uprisings the role of the Internet has shifted - governments are finally realising its power and what it can do when there are enough people using it, particularly when coupled with a reason to get angry. There's nothing to say other countries in Africa aren't limiting freedoms on the Internet; according to the OpenNet Initiative Sudan, Mauritania and Morocco are all guilty, b ut for the most part, things seem to b e taking a turn for the b etter. Freedom of the Internet is a great thing. It educates us, allows us to communicate and share, and occasionally laugh at stupid things. But most importantly, it gives us a voice, and when governments take away that voice they deserve to b e held up and shamed b y the international community. While it can b e easy to stand on a soapb ox and rant ab out freedoms when you've got them, spare a thought for the ones putting themselves in danger to get the same thing. By Dan Swinhoe, Editorial Assistant, IDG Connect

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