African Digital Rights Network

As a new school year begins in the MENA region, not every student gets a fair shot at education. Governments keep turning to internet blackouts as a “solution” to exam cheating. #NoExamShutdown 🔽 🧵

If you're attending #FIFAfrica25 in Windhoek, Namibia, don't miss this timely session: "What forces are driving Digital-ID and Digital Public Infrastructure?" Hosted by @ADRNorg, @cipesaug, @StrathCIPIT, and @NubianRights. Tomorrow, Friday, September 26, 2025 Time: 12:00–13:30 Location: Omatako 2, Windhoek International Convention Centre Join us for discussions on digital rights, inclusion, and the future of DPI in Africa! #InternetFreedom #DigitalRights #DPI #FIFAfrica25 #InternetFreedomAfrica

This week we are in Namibia for the #InternetFreedomAfrica conference to launch our new book "Internet Shutdowns in Africa" edited by Felicia Anthonio from the #KeepItOn of @accessnow. Join us in Gamsberg room at 11:30 on Thursday 25th Oct. #FIFAfrica25 africandigitalrightsnetwork.org/news

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When you are more upset about musicians' chants than soldiers deliberately killing unarmed starving civilians you really know you're on the right side of history....

Activists under watch. Journalists silenced. Our new report reveals the rise of spyware and surveillance in East & Southern Africa. Read, share, act. To read full report: bit.ly/3FXczdr

🗞️ Breaking the news or taking the analytical approach? Ebunoluwa Olafusi from @thecableng tells us how journalists and fact-checkers can work together to fight misinformation and disinformation in the latest episode of #BehindTheFacts. 🔗 Listen wherever you get your podcasts or click here: africacheck.info/m/behind-the-f…

⚠️ Confirmed: Metrics show social platforms TikTok, Facebook, and Telegram have been restricted in #Togo on main internet provider Yas Togo, corroborating user reports; the incident comes as soldiers suppress protests calling for long-time president Gnassingbe's resignation

When you are fully complicit in facilitating a genocide but you don't want others to know about it: "We can't tell the world what you are doing here" (UK PM Keir Starmer praises British soldiers at UK’s Akrotiri base in Cyprus, involved in covert support for Israel's actions in Gaza)

The full leaked EU report is now public - and it’s damning. Despite cowardly phrasing, the conclusion is clear: Israel is in breach of art. 2 of the Association Agreement. EU ministers meeting Monday must act accordingly, demand a suspension of the deal: euobserver.com/eu-and-the-wor…

WhatsApp is an attack vector for Pegasus. This is old news. What people don't grasp is the cell radio/SIM will betray a person's location more accurately than any app or even GPS. 2G and 5G are most dangerous. 5G can even reveal a target's location in 3D space i.e. which floor they're on in a building.

@gidonsaar The Zionist regime has destroyed an estimated 1,000 mosques in Gaza, and killed at least 100 imams. Sometimes genocidal "Israeli" soldiers blow up mosques just so they can put it on TikTok and impress their girlfriends aa.com.tr/en/middle-east… x.com/ytirawi/status…

I shit you not: the US Military just appointed OpenAI, Meta, and Palantir executives as Lt. Colonels in the Army. thegrayzone.com/2025/06/18/pal… thegrayzone.com/2025/06/18/pal…

Heading to #IGF25? Drop by our Digital Safety Clinic! We’re supporting activists, journalists & civil society to boost digital security. 📍 Lillestrøm, Norway 🗓️ June 24–27 🌍 Not there? Reach out here ⬇️ accessnow.org/help/

Gaza has faced blackout after blackout in just the past two weeks. Communications have been repeatedly cut amid intensified Israeli attacks. Now, with fuel running out & telecom cables destroyed, over 2 million people face total disconnection. #KeepItOn accessnow.org/press-release/…

Daring peaceful direct action draws attention to Britain's supply of arms to Apartheid Israel, their surveillance flights to support Israeli war crimes and British fueling of Israeli fighter jets that bomb children and hospitals. You be the judge - who is the terrorist?

Have you submitted your proposal for the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa - #FIFAfrica25? Applications close today so be sure to submit ASAP. Be a part of the community advancing #InternetFreedomAfrica!

As we commemorate the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, Paradigm Initiative (PIN @ParadigmHQ) is calling for big tech companies to enhance their efforts in combating hate speech on their platforms and uphold fundamental human rights online. PIN’s 2024 Londa report documents that hate speech online is prevalent, with countries such as Angola making at least 25 content removal requests related to hate speech, harassment, and political misinformation. Globally, hate speech has contributed to incitement of violence, exacerbated ethnic tensions, targeting vulnerable and marginalised communities, including women, minorities and in some instances, foreigners. In Nigeria, in 2018, a Facebook post which showed a massacre in the Plateau state was viewed over 11000 times, resulting in ethnic conflicts that led to the killing of citizens. In South Africa, research documents that poor content moderation practices have increased hate speech. At an International level, PIN joined other civil society organisations early in the year to condemn tech company policy changes, which are likely to have an impact on hate speech and information disorders. In India, during elections, hate speech was prevalent. In Ethiopia, in 2021, hate speech and disinformation resulted in the killing an Ethiopian citizen after a Facebook post falsely implicated him in a scandal. Hate speech online fuels conflict and hinders progress towards sustainable development and peace in the Global South. PIN observes the increasing sophistication of actors spreading hate speech, often leveraging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence to maximise reach and impact. At the same time, content moderation often falls short, especially for non-English content. “Hate speech online is a direct attack on the dignity and safety of individuals. We urge technology companies to commit to transparent and effective content moderation practices, especially in the age of artificial intelligence. We urge technology companies to prioritise human rights in their operations,” said Bridgette Ndlovu, Paradigm Initiative’s Partnerships and Engagements Officer. The alarming spread of hate speech online threatens human rights and democratic values. PIN’s latest Londa report notes that as digital platforms continue to grow, governments globally face the difficult task of enacting laws that safeguard individuals from harmful content, such as hate speech, misinformation, and online harassment, while upholding the fundamental right to free speech. This delicate tension reflects broader global discussions about the role of government in effectively regulating digital spaces. Additionally, governments enacting hate speech laws should refrain from arbitrary arrests and detentions of human rights defenders on charges of unlawful assembly, espionage, hate speech, and sedition. Efforts to counter hate speech should uphold freedoms of expression and not stifle legitimate speech. PIN calls on tech companies to: - Invest equitably in non-English content moderation across the Global South to integrate local nuances. - Increase transparency in government content takedown requests to ensure requests do not infringe on the right to free expression online. - Enhance digital literacy, particularly in under-served regions, to ensure safe online practices. - Conduct human rights due diligence to identify the platform use risks and take steps to mitigate such risks, in line with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Story at techtrends.co.zm/paradigm-initi…

🌍 A Global Look at Digital Democracy: Egypt Online freedoms are under serious threat. Explore its digital democracy ecosystem: key laws, challenges for CSOs, available support, strategies of resistance & what’s needed to strengthen digital freedoms 👉 web.civicus.org/Egypt