Uganda
Access to the internet is becoming subject to increasing restrictions worldwide, including numerous African countries, as we reported a few months ago in “It’s like being cut off from the world”. This is particularly so in the case of Uganda, where the newest member of the APC network, Unwanted Witness, is based. We talked to Dorothy Mukasa, executive director of the organisation, about challenging internet shutdowns and other violations of human rights online in a country with high lev...
Unwanted Witness was established in 2012 by a group of netizens, bloggers, activists, writers and human rights defenders as an independent, non-partisan and not-for-profit civil society organisation. It seeks to create secure uncensored online platforms to promote human rights through writing, informing and educating citizens who also utilise the platforms for strengthening free expression and demanding accountability. The mission of Unwanted Witness is to put the power of change in the han...
This article was originally published on the website of APC member Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA). Last year, Uganda’s communications regulator commissioned a study to establish the status of access to and usage of information and communications technology (ICT) by persons with disabilities (PWDs). In response to a call for comments, CIPESA ma...
Article republished from CIPESA's website. As of midnight on July 1, 2018, telecom companies in Uganda blocked access to social media platforms for all users and required them to pay a newly introduced Over-The-Top (OTT) tax before regaining access. The tax resulted from a March 2018 presidential directive for social media to be taxed to raise resources “to cope with the consequences” ...
Technology and communication at the heart of social change You would like to participate in an international internship with one of Alternatives’ partners. You want to advance Alternatives' and its allies’ work in the areas of social communications, information and communications technology (ICT), human rights and gender equality. You are dynamic, curious and eager to have a rewarding inter...
APC’s subgranting programme, now in its third year, has so far awarded a total of USD 291,534 to support its members in achieving APC’s vision. Seventeen member organisations were recipients of 17 grants, 14 of which are project grants of up to USD 20,000 each, while the other three are research and campaign grants of up to USD 5,000 each. This last category of grants is still open for prop...
Helen Nyinakiiza provides digital security training for human rights activists and is a research coordinator on tech usability. She lives and works in her native country, Uganda. She has worked on projects that offer capacity building for human rights activists since 2011. Now as a member of APC, she participates in the development of the FTX: Safety Reboot curriculum and on other education ini...
After a series of missed messages and calls, two individuals - neither located in the "global North" - found their way around ticking time zones to finally speak to each other. We had to drop trying to coordinate via UTC (Universal Time Converter which is basically the time in UK) and I had to learn what is EAT - East Africa Time, and Helen Nyinakiiza had to learn about Indian Standar...
Access to the internet, mobile telephony and other means of communication facilitated by technology have long been identified by researchers and policy makers alike as central to promoting the empowerment of women and marginalised communities. From creating opportunities to operate businesses through mobile phones, to providing access to critical information on sexual and reproductive health, t...
Infrastructure sharing is an operational strategy designed to minimise the resources needed for communication infrastructure, making it much less costly and faster to deploy. By freeing up the resources required for network construction, broadband can be made more affordable for users. In addition, cost savings mean more funds can become available for network deployment in areas that may...
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2019
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