DOCSLIB.ORG

State of Internet Freedom in Africa 2018 Published by CIPESA, September 2018

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
State of Internet Freedom in Africa 2018 Published by CIPESA, September 2018 10 001 0 10 001 010 01 010 100 1 001000100000 0010 0100 01000100 0101001 100 0100 1001 010001 010 010010 00010 1000100000001 01 100 1000000100010000100010010 100010001000000100 01001 0010100 01000 10001 00001 00100101 0101010 0101 0101 01000 1000 10001 01001010001001001 0000100 0 0010 01010 01001 001 0001010 000 0 0 0 0 10 101 01 1001 01 001 010 10010 10001 01 0100 1001 0100 10010 1001 0100 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 00 0 1 1 0 100 1000 100 100 1001 010 100 0 00 1 0 10 010 00 100 1001 0 State of Internet 0 1 01 01 0 10 Freedom 01 10 01 00 10 1000 0 0 0 1 001 01 01 010 10 0 0 0 1 0 10 01 00 10 0 0 00 10 0 10 10 100 10 000 000 10 10 01 0 0 01 0 10 01 000 1 0 01 01in 01 0 0Africa 000000 00 0001 0002018 1000 100 010 01 001 00 0 0 0 0 0 10 01 001 1 1 1 00 1 00 1 01 000 10 0 010 0 00 01 000 100 1 00 00 0 01 000 0 01 000 10 01 00 100 010 00 10 00 10 1 0 010 0100111 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 000 10 01 00 0 0 0 10 0 1 WƌŝǀĂĐLJĂŶĚĂƚĂWƌŽƚĞĐƟŽŶŝŶƚŚĞŝŐŝƚĂůƌĂ͗ 0 0 0 1 0 00 00 1000 01 0000 100 01 000 01 0001 0 0 00 00 001 0 0 000 01 01ŚĂůůĞŶŐĞƐĂŶĚdƌĞŶĚƐŝŶĨƌŝĐĂ 000 1 000 1 00 1 000 1 0 10 01 001 01 001 0001 0001 00 0 10 10 01 001 001 0001 00 010 0001 0001 000 100 010 0 10 10 0 11 01 10 1 01 111 0 1 0 10 01 0 10 01 00 000 10 0 10 10 01 00 1 00 100 01 September 2018 0 0 10 0 01 00 100 01 00 00 10 00 1 0 00 0 00 1 0 11 00 0 00 0 00 o 00 00 00 000 0 00 00 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 000 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 00 0 0 0 0 01 00 00 00 00 10 0 11 0 01 01 10 10 01 1 1 0 100 1010 0 1000 100 100 1 0 00 00000 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 000 00 0 0 0 0 0000 0 0 000 0000 000 00 000 00 0000 0 0 00 00 000 0000 000000 0 000 00 0 1 10 10 10 0 10 0 0 0 0 000 00 0 10 00 10 0 0 001 0001 000 0 0 0 01 010 000 0 0 000 000 00 0 00 000 0 0 0 0 000 00 00 000 00 0 0 00 000 0 000 0 0 0 0 00 0000 000 0000 00 11 0 1000 1 0 000 0 0 00 00 0 0 0 00 00 00 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 101 0 10 01 0 00 000 00000 01 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 00 000 0 0 000 0000 00 1 001 000 10 00 0 0 0 001 010 01 001 0001 001 001 0 10 10 10 0 000 000 1 010 001 00 0 00 0 00 0 0 00 00 0 000 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 000 00 00 CIPESA 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 01 00 10 01 0001 001 00100 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 00 0 0 000 00 0 0 0 00 0 0 0000 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 00 00 00 00 00 00 0 Credits This research was carried out by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) with support of various partners. This research documents the state of privacy and personal data protection in select African countries, tracking key trends in recent years, analysing the key risk factors, and mapping notable developments on data protection and privacy legislation and violations, and users’ understanding of protecting their privacy online. The study covers Burundi, the DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The research was conducted as part of CIPESA’s OpenNet Africa initiative (www.opennetafrica.org), which monitors and promotes internet freedom in Africa. Research steering committee Ashnah Kalemera, Victor Kapiyo, Paul Kimumwe, Lillian Nalwoga, Juliet Nanfuka, Edrine Wanyama, Wairagala Wakabi, PhD Country researchers Burundi - Jean Paul Nkurunziza, Alain Ndikumana DR Congo - Arsène Baguma Tungali and Blaise Ndola Ethiopia – Berhan Taye and Roman Teshome Ghana – Dora Mawutor Kenya - Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) Malawi – Jimmy Kainja Nigeria – Adaora Okoli Rwanda – Robert Mbaraga Senegal – Ababacar Diop Tanzania – Asha Abinallah Uganda – Daniel Mwesigwa and Edrine Wanyama Zambia – Richard Mulonga Zimbabwe – Natasha Msonza Design Ish Designs [email protected] State of Internet Freedom in Africa 2018 Published by CIPESA, www.cipesa.org September 2018 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence ‹creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0› Some rights reserved. Privacy and Data Protection in the Digital Era: Challenges and Trends in Africa 2 State of Internet Freedom in Africa 2018 Table of Contents 1. Introduction and Background 5 1.1 Introduction 5 1.2 Study Rationale 6 1.3 Aim of the Study 8 2 Study Methodology 9 3 Country Contexts 10 3.1 Political Economy 10 3.2 ICT Status 11 3.3 Political Environment 12 4 Laws and Policies Affecting Privacy and Personal Data Protection 18 4.1 International Framework for the Protection of Privacy 18 4.2 African Instruments on Privacy and Personal Data Protection 19 4.3 National Constitutional Frameworks for the Protection of Privacy 21 4.4 Legal Frameworks for Privacy and Data Protection Laws and Policies 23 4.5 Recognition of Personal Data in Statutes 24 4.6 Limitations on the Right to Privacy 25 5 Results: Status, Trends and Challenges 27 5.1 Limited Understanding of Privacy 27 5.2 Weak Policy and Legal Frameworks 28 5.2.1 Absence of Comprehensive Data Protection Frameworks 28 5.2.2 Abuse of Laws to Undermine Privacy 29 5.2.3 Legal Provisions Compelling Telecom Companies to Cooperate on Surveillance 30 5.2.4 Unreasonable Search and Seizure Provisions 32 5.3 Data Collection Programmes by Governments 33 5.3.1 Mandatory Data Collection 33 5.3.2 Scaling up Digitisation Programmes 36 5.4 Enhanced State Surveillance Capacity 39 5.4.1 Permitted Interception and Surveillance 39 5.4.2 State Acquisition and Deployment of Surveillance Technologies 41 5.4.3 Increased Information Requests from Governments 42 3 Privacy and Data Protection in the Digital Era: Challenges and Trends in Africa State of Internet Freedom in Africa 2018 5.5 Privacy Breaches by Business Entities 44 5.5.1 Legal Responsibility of Business Entities 45 5.5.2 Mishandling of Customer Data 46 5.5.3 Targeted and Indiscriminate Communication 47 5.6 Dispute Resolution and Remedies 48 5.6.1 Existing Frameworks for Remedies 48 5.6.2 Notable Judicial Decisions 49 6 Conclusion and Recommendations 50 6.1 Conclusion 50 6.2 Recommendations 52 6.2.1 Government 52 6.2.2 Companies/Business 53 6.2.3 Academia 53 6.2.4 Media 54 6.2.5 Technical Community 54 6.2.5 Civil Society 54 Privacy and Data Protection in the Digital Era: Challenges and Trends in Africa 4 State of Internet Freedom in Africa 2018 1. Introduction and Background 1.1 Introduction One of the earliest definitions of the right to privacy is from 1890, when Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis defined it as the “right to be let alone”.1 At the time, the United States was witnessing technological inventions and business methods that were making individuals’ personal lives more accessible to others irrespective of acquaintance, social or economic class, or the customary constraints of propriety.2 These included the telephone, telephone exchanges, portable cameras, instantaneous photographs, sound recording devices, and newspapers. There was therefore need to outline principles to protect the individuals from invasion of their privacy. The concerns expressed by Warren and Brandeis in 1890 are true today perhaps more than before, as the right to privacy is hugely affected by technological developments and by economic, political and social changes . Moreover, privacy concerns continue to feature prominently in democratic processes including elections, commercial transactions, citizen-to-government interactions, and generally in the use of social media.3 National and international efforts to protect personal data from misuse or unlawful access have sought to provide protection against questionable business practices, unlawful surveillance, and digitally mediated attacks perpetuated by adversaries such as hackers and fraudsters. The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) articulate the right to privacy. The right has also been incorporated in more than 130 national constitutions worldwide.4 The right to privacy is central to the protection of human dignity, forms the basis of any democratic society, and supports other rights, such as freedom of expression, information and association.5 It is essential therefore for states to have policy, administrative and legal frameworks that robustly protect the individual from invasion of their privacy and abuse of their personal data. However, in Africa the weak or missing legal protections for personal data, abuse of existing laws by state agencies in service of often partisan interests, and poor digital security practices by citizens , are tremendously undermining citizens’ privacy and personal data.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Mapping the Digital Divide in Africa in Divide Digital the Mapping
    5 Mutsvairo Ragnedda & (eds) Mapping the Digital Divide in Africa Edited by Bruce Mutsvairo and Massimo Ragnedda Mapping the Digital Divide in Africa A Mediated Analysis Mapping the Digital Divide in Africa Mapping the Digital Divide in Africa A Mediated Analysis Edited by Bruce Mutsvairo and Massimo Ragnedda Amsterdam University Press Cover illustration: Local market on Zanzibar Island © iSTock Cover design: Coördesign, Leiden Lay-out: Crius Group, Hulshout isbn 978 94 6298 685 5 e-isbn 978 90 4853 822 5 doi 10.5117/9789462986855 nur 670 © B. Mutsvairo, M. Ragnedda / Amsterdam University Press B.V., Amsterdam 2019 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the written permission of both the copyright owner and the author of the book. Every effort has been made to obtain permission to use all copyrighted illustrations reproduced in this book. Nonetheless, whosoever believes to have rights to this material is advised to contact the publisher. Table of Contents List of Figures and Tables 6 Acknowledgements 9 Section I Foundations and Theory 1. Comprehending the Digital Disparities in Africa 13 Bruce Mutsvairo and Massimo Ragnedda 2. Conceptualising the digital divide 27 Massimo Ragnedda 3. From Global to Local, Metropolitan to Village 45 A Case for a Definitional and Context-Oriented Approach to Examining the ‘Digital Divide’ Tenford Chitanana 4. Technology and the Democratic Space in Africa 65 A Re-Examination of the Notion of ‘Digital Divide’ Muhammed Musa Section II Social Inclusion and Digital Exclusion 5.
    [Show full text]
  • International Connectivity and the Digital Divide in Sub-Saharan Africa
    Pap ing er rk o W s fondation pour les études et recherches sur le développement international e D i 264March c e li ve 2020* o lopment P * Revised version December 2020 International Connectivity and the Digital Divide in Sub-Saharan Africa Joël Cariolle Joël Cariolle, Research Officer, FERDI. [email protected] Abstract In recent decades, international connectivity has improved significantly with the worldwide deployment of some 400 fiber submarine cables (SMCs), transmitting more than 99% of international telecommunications. If sub-Saharan African (SSA) has long remained excluded from this interconnection process, the maritime infrastructure network has recently densified and spurred an African connectivity catch-up. This paper estimates the impact of SMC deployment on the digital divide in a sample of 45 SSA countries covering the period of 1990– 2014. Difference in differences (DID) estimations are conducted and highlight the particular contribution of SEACOM and EASSy cables, laid in 2009–2010, to Internet penetration in Eastern and Southern Africa. According to DID estimates, the rollout of these SMCs has yielded a 3–5 percentage point increase in Internet penetration rates in this region compared to the rest of SSA. This is a remarkable advancement, since this variation corresponds approximately to the average level of Internet penetration in the subcontinent prior to their arrival. Key words: ICT, submarine cables, digital divide, Sub-Saharan Africa, infrastructure, connectivity. JEL Classification: F02, L96, O33, O18. LA FERDI EST UNE FONDATION RECONNUE D’UTILITÉ PUBLIQUE. RECONNUE LA FERDI EST UNE FONDATION ET LA GOUVERNANCE MONDIALE (IDGM). POUR LE DÉVELOPPEMENT L’INITIATIVE L’IDDRI ELLE MET EN ŒUVRE AVEC CERDI ET À L’IDDRI.
    [Show full text]
  • Scarica Il File
    Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna SCUOLA di SCIENZE POLITICHE Sede di Forlì Corso di Laurea in Scienze Internazionali e Diplomatiche (LM-52) TESI DI LAUREA in Studi Strategici “National Cyber Approach: analisi dell'ecosistema difensivo nazionale rapportato alle minacce cibernetiche". Il caso di Estonia e Israele CANDIDATO RELATORE Matteo Gramaglia Prof. Filippo Andreatta CORRELATORE Prof. Gian Piero Siroli Anno Accademico 2012/2013 Sessione III 1 2 A mio padre, ai miei padri. ﻳﺩ ﻭﺣﺩﻫﺎ ﻣﺎ ﺑﺗﺻﻔﻕ. 3 Ringraziamenti Vorrei ringraziare tutti coloro che hanno reso possibile questo mio elaborato di tesi. Innanzitutto il mio relatore Filippo Andreatta, entusiasta sostenitore del progetto, e il correlatore Gian Piero Siroli, mentore e amico. Inoltre, vorrei ringraziare l’International Centre for Defense Studies di Tallinn, l’Institute for National Security Studies e il Yuval Ne’eman Workshop di Tel Aviv, per avermi concesso l’opportunità di approfondire le tematiche del mio elaborato presso le loro sedi. In particolare, uno speciale ringraziamento va a di Emmet Thouy e Piret Pernik, fondamentali nell’aiutarmi a carpire le dinamiche estoni, Gabi Siboni, Daniel Cohen, Lior Tabanski e Isaac Ben-Israel, miei riferimenti in Israele. Vorrei poi poter dare un personale ringraziamento a tutti coloro che mi hanno concesso delle interviste in questi mesi: tra gli altri Stefano Mele, Sandro Bologna, Giampiero Giacomello, Mihkel Tammet, Rain Ottis, Patrik Maldre, Kristjan Prikk, Kadri Kaska, Toomas Viira, Priit Laaniste, Siim Alatalu, Nir Tordjman, Ram Levi, Cameron Brown, Meir Elran, Gil Baram e l’indimenticabile Martin Van Creveld. Vorrei inoltre menzionare UNIDIR, Cyber Tech, Isodarco, AIIC, IPRED, DiploHack, per avermi dato la possibilità di prendere parte ad eventi estremamente rilevanti per la costruzione della mia tesi.
    [Show full text]
  • Internet Access and the Right to Education in South Africa
    University of Chicago Law School Chicago Unbound Global Human Rights Clinic Law School Clinics 2020 Access Denied: Internet Access and the Right to Education in South Africa University of Chicago Law School - Global Human Rights Clinic UniversityofChicagoLawSchoolGlobalHumanRightsClinic@chicagounbound.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/ghrc Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation University of Chicago Law School - Global Human Rights Clinic, "Access Denied: Internet Access and the Right to Education in South Africa" (2020). Global Human Rights Clinic. 1. https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/ghrc/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School Clinics at Chicago Unbound. It has been accepted for inclusion in Global Human Rights Clinic by an authorized administrator of Chicago Unbound. For more information, please contact [email protected]. access denied: internet access and the right to education in south africa THIS REPORT IS JOINTLY PUBLISHED BY: THE GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS CLINIC, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LAW SCHOOL ALT ADVISORY ACACIA ECONOMICS MEDIA MONITORING AFRICA THE REPORT WAS WRITTEN BY NINO GURULI AND CLAUDIA FLORES (FACULTY AUTHORS) AND FAITH LAKEN, ANNA DUKE, AND JOHN HAVILAND (STUDENT AUTHORS) OF THE GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS CLINIC OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LAW SCHOOL;1 AVANI SINGH, MICHAEL POWER AND TINA POWER OF ALT ADVISORY; DR RYAN HAWTHORNE AND JENNA ROBB OF ACACIA ECONOMICS; AND PHAKAMILE KHUMALO, AZOLA DAYILE AND WILLIAM BIRD OF MEDIA MONITORING AFRICA. THIS REPORT WAS PREPARED AND DESIGNED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF ALT ADVISORY. THE COVER ARTWORK WAS PREPARED BY KWAZI NWANA. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
    [Show full text]
  • E-Conomy Africa 2020 Report
    e-Conomy Africa 2020 Africa’s $180 billion Internet economy future Table of Contents Foreword ............................................................................................................................................ 2 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 3 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ 4 Section 1: The State of the Continent, Macro Trends, and Drivers of Change ............. 5 Section 2: Africa’s Growing Internet Economy, Trends, and Projections ...................... 11 Development Opportunities within the Informal Sector .............................. 26 Section 3: Overview of Africa’s Growing Developer and Digital Talent ....................... 28 Section 4: A Review of Africa’s Venture Capital and Funding Landscape .................. 45 Section 5: The Role of Africa’s Hubs and Accelerators ................................................... 52 The Impact of Global Tech Initiatives on Africa’s Internet Economy ................................................................................ 58 Section 6: Infrastructure is Key: Increasing Connectivity on the Continent ............. 60 Section 7: Regulatory Hurdles and Opportunities for Africa’s Internet Economy ..... 69 Appendix: Abbreviations and Acronyms .................................................................................. 81 References .....................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Africa Internet History: Highlights
    AFRICA INTERNET HISTORY: HIGHLIGHTS Internet Society Galerie Jean-Malbuisson, 15 Tel: +41 22 807 1444 1775 Wiehle Ave. Tel: +1 703 439 2120 InternetSociety.org CH-1204 Geneva Fax: +41 22 807 1445 Suite 201 Fax: +1 703 326 9881 [email protected] Switzerland Reston, VA 20190, USA Contents Section 1: Organizations Section 2: Technologies Section 3: Impact Section 4: African institutions and Internet governance Section 5: Some pioneers Internet Society Galerie Jean-Malbuisson, 15 Tel: +41 22 807 1444 1775 Wiehle Ave. Tel: +1 703 439 2120 InternetSociety.org CH-1204 Geneva Fax: +41 22 807 1445 Suite 201 Fax: +1 703 326 9881 [email protected] Switzerland Reston, VA 20190, USA Introduction This document on the Africa Internet history’s highlights is a collection of information from various sources. It is not a historical document per country but rather a set of global information on the Internet mainly from 1990 to 2001 in Africa Internet Society Galerie Jean-Malbuisson, 15 Tel: +41 22 807 1444 1775 Wiehle Ave. Tel: +1 703 439 2120 InternetSociety.org CH-1204 Geneva Fax: +41 22 807 1445 Suite 201 Fax: +1 703 326 9881 [email protected] Switzerland Reston, VA 20190, USA I Organizations/Initiatives Many international organizations have played an important role in Africa Internet history. Their actions were significant in the area of infrastructure, policy, capacity building and more. This section is trying to summarize some of these actions by international organizations and research centers. Internet Society Galerie Jean-Malbuisson, 15 Tel: +41 22 807 1444 1775 Wiehle Ave. Tel: +1 703 439 2120 InternetSociety.org CH-1204 Geneva Fax: +41 22 807 1445 Suite 201 Fax: +1 703 326 9881 [email protected] Switzerland Reston, VA 20190, USA − Africa Union The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) is a programme of the African Union (AU) adopted in Lusaka, Zambia in 2001.
    [Show full text]
  • Lifting Barriers to Internet Development in Africa: Suggestions for Improving Connectivity
    Report for the Internet Society Lifting barriers to Internet development in Africa: suggestions for improving connectivity May 2013 Robert Schumann, Michael Kende Ref: 35729-502d1 . Contents Executive summary 1 1 Introduction 5 2 The Internet access value chain 10 2.1 Overview of the value chain 10 2.2 Relative costs of parts of the value chain 12 3 Comparing Internet access in African countries 16 3.1 Demographic overview 17 3.2 Market environment 18 3.3 Internet indicators 20 4 Identifying successes and failures 27 4.1 International connectivity 27 4.2 National and metro backhaul 36 4.3 ISP market 43 4.4 Policy environment 44 5 Policy lessons and impact of best practice 46 5.1 Removing roadblocks 46 5.2 Promoting investment and services 51 5.3 High-level political leadership 55 6 Conclusion 58 Annex A Contributors to this study Annex B Glossary Annex C About us Ref: 35729-502d1 . Lifting barriers to Internet development in Africa: suggestions for improving connectivity Copyright © 2013. Analysys Mason Limited and The Internet Society (ISOC). This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/. The analysis and conclusions presented in this report are those of the stated author and Analysys Mason Limited, and have been arrived at independently of any client-specific work. Google provided financial contribution for this study but the findings do not necessarily represent the company's view. Analysys Mason Limited Bush House, North West Wing Aldwych London WC2B 4PJ UK Tel: +44 (0)845 600 5244 Fax: +44 (0)20 7395 9001 [email protected] www.analysysmason.com Registered in England No.
    [Show full text]
  • Digital Ethiopia 2025 -A Strategy for Ethiopia Inclusive Prosperity
    DIGITAL ETHIOPIA 2025 -A STRATEGY FOR ETHIOPIA INCLUSIVE PROSPERITY Foreword The world is undergoing a fourth industrial revolution at an unprecedented rate. Ethiopia must proactively embrace it to ensure our communities benefit, and our youth succeed in the new world. We are witnessing a global transformation driven by new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Nanotechnology, and Big Data, amongst many others that offer new models for production, communication, and lifestyle. Our children require new skills and knowledge, and it is our responsibility to position them better in seizing the future. Ethiopia is yet to realize its potential in the digital space and leverage technology to build a more prosperous society. Urgent, bold, and coordinated action is needed so we can make this transformation successful. We are on a journey of rapid economic and social change. In 2019, we adopted the Homegrown Economic Reform Agenda and the Ten-Year National Development Plan (2020-2030). New digital technologies offer an opportunity to sustain growth and ensure every citizen benefits from a more prosperous nation. Leveraging these digital opportunities demands a new mindset and leadership style from the Government. Enabling innovation means embracing the unknown. The Government commits to investing in Research and Development of future and emerging technologies as well as creating an enabling environment for courageous, innovative and committed people to develop new businesses, services and jobs. Like many new and mostly unknown opportunities, there are risks to mitigate and lessons to be learnt to ensure our future is safe and inclusive. While these risks include cybersecurity innovation, harmful social media content, a growing gap between the rich and poor, the risks to not leveraging digital technologies, however, are higher for developing economies like ours.
    [Show full text]
  • Whither the Internet in Africa? by Sami Chabenne, Alexandre Gorito, and Hans Kuipers
    The Connected World WhiTher The inTerneT in AfriCA? By Sami Chabenne, Alexandre Gorito, and Hans Kuipers s the glass half empty or half full? online retail and online advertising?), and IThis is the question that the results of engagement (25 percent; how actively are the 2012 BCG e-Intensity Index pose to businesses, governments, and consumers governments across Africa. embracing the Internet?). The Index shows not only how one country compares with On the one hand, e-Intensity Index scores others but also where a country’s strengths are rising quickly for many of the 14 and weaknesses lie within the three nations on the African continent that are dimensions. included in the 2012 list—more so than those of developed nations and many other developing economies.1 On the other The expanding Digital Divide hand, all of these nations are starting from Around the world, e-Intensity Index scores very small bases, and even those with continued to increase—but far from increased scores are barely staying even or evenly, with clear overperformers and are falling down the global rankings. South underperformers emerging. The average Africa, which has the most developed score in 2012 was 52, up from 44 in 2011 economy in Africa, ranked only sixty-fourth and 27 in 2009. The average score of the out of 85 countries on the e-Intensity countries in the Index’s lowest ten percent, Index. Nigeria, the most populous, ranked which includes five African nations, rose eighty-third. from 5.7 to 14.4 between 2009 and 2012, whereas the average score of the leaders in The e-Intensity Index measures countries the top-10 percent improved from 115 to according to three gauges of Internet 184.3.
    [Show full text]
  • The Experience of Internet Freedom Among African Users
    International Journal of Communication 14(2020), 6072–6086 1932–8036/20200005 The Experience of Internet Freedom Among African Users VALENTINA BAÚ1 University of New South Wales, Australia ENRICO CALANDRO Research ICT Africa, South Africa This article examines African Internet users’ experience of online freedom to assess levels of trust and mistrust of the Internet in Africa. Internet users’ perception of the protection or denial of their rights online—such as freedom of expression, privacy, and safety and security—in selected African countries is examined here as an outcome of constraining or enabling Internet policy and regulatory frameworks. Demand-side survey data collected via nationally representative ICT access and use surveys in 2017 is analyzed within the context of the Internet ecosystem as it plays out at the national level in three sub-Saharan African countries: Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa. Findings are contextualized within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing the role that the Internet plays in contributing to the growth of a country when relevant policies are formulated in a way that addresses users’ needs while safeguarding their rights. Keywords: information and communication technologies, sub-Saharan Africa, Internet policy, Internet freedom, Sustainable Development Goals From a rights and legal protection perspective, assumptions regarding international guidelines and good practice based on human rights, democratic principles, and the rule of law, which drive the development of specialized areas of cyberlaw, are not applicable in all African countries (Abdulrauf, 2018; Lumbu, 2018). Yet, there is very little evidence of research being conducted on Internet users' perception of freedom of expression in the African reality.
    [Show full text]
  • ICANN Africa Regional Plan for Fiscal Years 2021-2025
    ICANN Africa Regional Plan for Fiscal Years 2021-2025 1 July-2020 -30 June 2025 1 July 2020 ICANN | ICANN Africa Regional Plan for Fiscal Years 2021-2025 | July 2020 | 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS BACKGROUND INFORMATION 3 1.1 Introduction 3 1.1.1 Background 3 1.1.2 The African Region 4 2 METHODOLOGY 4 3 STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES FOR FY 2021-2025 5 3.1 Security 5 3.1.1 Strategic Objective 5 3.1.2 Regional Goals 5 3.1.3 Targeted Outcomes 6 3.1.4 Action steps 6 3.1.5 Strategic Risks 7 3.2 ICANN Governance 7 3.2.1 Strategic Objective 7 3.2.2 Regional Goals 7 3.2.3 Targeted Outcomes 7 3.2.4 Action Steps 8 3.2.5 Strategic Risks 8 3.3 Unique Identifiers System 9 3.3.1 Strategic Objective 9 3.3.2 Regional Goals 9 3.3.3 Targeted Outcomes 9 3.3.4 Action Steps 9 3.3.5 Strategic Risks 11 3.4 Geopolitics 11 3.4.1 Strategic Objective 11 3.4.2 Regional Goals 11 3.4.3 Targeted outcomes 11 3.4.4 Action steps 12 3.4.5 Strategic Risks 12 3.5 Financials 12 3.5.1 Strategic Objective 12 3.5.2 Regional Goals 13 3.5.3 Targeted Outcomes 13 3.5.4 Action Steps 13 3.5.5 Strategic Risks 13 4 CONCLUSIONS 13 5 ANNEX A – MEMBERS OF THE AFRICA STRATEGY WORKING GROUP 2020 (ASWG) 14 ICANN | ICANN Africa Regional Plan for Fiscal Years 2021-2025 | July 2020 | 2 Background Information 1.1 Introduction This draft document presents ICANN’s Africa Regional Plan for Fiscal Years 2021-2025, in an effort to align the regional strategy with ICANN’s Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2021- 2025.
    [Show full text]
  • Nber Working Paper Series the Arrival of Fast Internet
    NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES THE ARRIVAL OF FAST INTERNET AND EMPLOYMENT IN AFRICA Jonas Hjort Jonas Poulsen Working Paper 23582 http://www.nber.org/papers/w23582 NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 July 2017, Revised January 2018 We are grateful to Editor Marianne Bertrand and five anonymous referees for insightful comments that significantly improved the paper. We also thank Adrian Adermon, Sebastian Axbard, Niklas Bengtsson, Martina Björkman-Nyqvist, Greg Bruich, Esther Duflo, Ray Fisman, Oded Galor, Francois Gerard, Amit Khandelwal, Erik Lindqvist, Mushfiq Mobarak, Kalle Moene, Eva Mörk, Anders Olofsgård, Michel Serafinelli, Kjetil Storesletten, Eric Verhoogen, Tim Waters, Frank Windmeijer, Chris Woodruff, and especially Henrik Sigstad and Matthieu Teachout for many helpful conversations, and seminar participants at the Barcelona Summer Forum, Bocconi, Brown, Columbia, Harvard, IGC Growth Week, NBER Summer Institute, Oslo, Oxford, Stockholm School of Economics, UBC, and Uppsala for comments and suggestions. Sawal Acharya, Patrick Kennedy, and Roxanne Rahnama provided great research assistance. We thank Akamai, Steve Song, and the World Bank for data access. Hjort thanks the Center for Development Economics and Policy at Columbia University for financial support. Any errors are our own. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research. NBER working papers are circulated for discussion and comment purposes. They have not been peer-reviewed or been subject to the review by the NBER Board of Directors that accompanies official NBER publications. © 2017 by Jonas Hjort and Jonas Poulsen. All rights reserved. Short sections of text, not to exceed two paragraphs, may be quoted without explicit permission provided that full credit, including © notice, is given to the source.
    [Show full text]