


Blog
MTN’s first transparency report marks a milestone, but raises questions
In response to mounting pressure from civil society, MTN has published an inaugural transparency report. Although this report is a welcome development, and Access Now encourages MTN to make this a yearly publication, the content leaves us with more questions than answers. …
25 November 2020


Press Releases
Tanzania government censoring mobile networks ahead of presidential election
Ahead of a presidential election on October 28, the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has ordered telcos to suspend access to bulk SMS and voice services, and reports indicate single messages with election-related keywords are also being censored.…
24 October 2020

Blog
Internet censorship in Tanzania: the price of free expression online keeps getting higher
The government has replaced bad regulations with new ones that enable the same kind of harmful internet censorship in Tanzania. Not only does the new law stifle free expression, it allows the government to profit from ratcheting up online censorship and control.…
22 October 2020

Access Now in the News
Op-ed: MTN’s opaque policies and role in internet shutdowns trigger alarm bells
BusinessDay: Telcos are key actors in the fight for human rights and public welfare, and MTN is one of Africa’s most prominent telecom service providers. Yet its dealings are almost completely opaque and require drastic transformation.…
29 September 2020

Blog
Open letter to Facebook on violence-inciting speech: act now to protect Ethiopians
Civil society organizations and individuals from around the world are calling on Facebook to immediately take action to stop its services from being used to incite violence, propagate hatred, and advance discrimination in Ethiopia.…
27 July 2020

Press Releases
Back in the dark: Ethiopia shuts down internet once again
At approximately 09:00 EAT today, Tuesday June 30, a blanket internet shutdown was implemented by the Ethiopian government, cutting the entire nation off, and denying people their fundamental rights to freedom of expression and access to information.…
16 July 2020

Blog
الإنترنت في اليمن: عمليات حجب ورقابة بعد انتقال الحرب على الإنترنت
إقرأ هذا المقال بالإنجليزية. يعيش اليمن منذ سنة 2015 حرب مدمرة بين المتمرّدين الحوثيين والتحالف الذي تقوده السعودية. ووصفت الأمم المتّحدة هذه الأزمة بأنها أسوء أزمة إنسانية في العالم، حيث شهدت مقتل أو إصابة عشرات الآلاف من المدنيين وأدّت إلى…
13 July 2020


Blog
#KeepItOn: As Yemen’s war goes online, internet shutdowns and censorship are hurting Yemenis
Read in Arabic here. Since 2015, Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating war between the Houthi rebels and a Saudi-led coalition. Described by the United Nations as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, tens of thousands of civilians…
25 June 2020

Blog
ECOWAS Court upholds digital rights, rules 2017 internet shutdowns in Togo illegal
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice ruled that the September 2017 internet shutdown ordered by the Togolese government during protests is illegal and an affront to the applicants’ right to freedom of expression.…
25 June 2020

Press Releases
Court rules the internet shutdowns in Papua and West Papua were illegal
A coalition of civil society groups working on freedom of expression issues in Southeast Asia has successfully sued the government for purposely shutting down the internet in Papua and West Papua during protests in 2019.…
3 June 2020