A year when people were forced online for school and socialising exposed Africans to increased cyber attacks and privacy issues
By Kim Harrisberg and Nita Bhalla
JOHANNESBURG/NAIROBI, Dec 22 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – From internet blackouts to contact tracing apps, digital rights across Africa were spotlighted in 2020 as millions of people were forced online to work, study and socialise amid lockdowns to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Rights advocates and research groups raised concerns that measures enacted to curb the spread of the virus allowed governments and hackers to start clamping down on other rights, too.
Since 2010, internet access has improved in nearly all 54 African countries, according to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation 2020 report on African governance.
But with increased access comes greater risk. These were five of Africa’s biggest digital rights threats in 2020:
INTERNET BLACKOUTS AND SOCIAL MEDIA CRACKDOWNS
Digital rights groups have warned that Africa is seeing a rise in government censorship of both citizen-created and political content on the internet, alongside shrinking protections for internet users’ privacy and data.
Clampdowns on digital rights were seen by governance researchers as more severe than any other rights violations, according to researchers at the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.
One example was Ethiopia, when the government shut down the internet in June, July and November in the face of political dissent and protests.
The move prompted the United Nations to urge Ethiopian authorities in July to restore internet access "without further delay".Shutting down the internet "disproportionately restricts the enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression, including freedom to seek, receive and impart information," read the U.N statement.In 20 countries, citizens are also facing more domestic internet and social media shutdowns than they were five years ago, with digital rights deteriorating the most in Mauritania, Benin and Cameroon, according to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.MOBILE LOANS AND DEBTSeveral African mobile operators, such as MTN Group, Safaricom and Econet have launched mobile credit in key markets, including Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Rwanda.These digital loan services – conveniently accessed on mobile phones – are bridging the gap for Africans who do not have bank accounts or steady enough incomes to borrow from formal financial institutions.Over 6 million Kenyans have taken out at least one digital loan for everyday necessities since 2012, according to research published in November 2019 by the Kenya Financial Sector Deepening programme, a trust that supports the development of financial markets in the country.This number […]
