Cyber Stewards Network (CSN) partner Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) released a report outlining the policies and practices surrounding Internet freedom in East Africa. Titled “The State of Internet Freedoms in East Africa,” the release of the report has drawn key individuals from the continent’s ICT industry to Kampala, Uganda for a forum. The day’s programme can be found here.
The report investigated the use of information and communication technology in the region, as well as government control over politically sensitive content. The report covered Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. CIPESA identified issues such as inadequate online safety skills, as well as the absence of data protection and privacy laws in all six of the countries investigated. In instances where the right to information and freedom of the press are enshrined in constitutional law, they are often negated by other laws or obstacles to implanting legislation that would see them upheld.