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Berhan Taye

Africa Policy Manager, Global Internet Shutdowns Lead

Berhan Taye leads Access Now’s work on digital rights in Africa as the Africa Policy Manager. As the Global Internet Shutdowns Lead, Berhan advises Access Now’s #KeepItOn Coalition on policy and advocacy engagements against internet shutdowns. Berhan is also a visiting researcher at the Center for Intellectual Property and Information Technology (CIPIT) at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya. She previously led the #KeepItOn campaign, a global campaign that fights against internet shutdown with a coalition of more than 220 member organizations worldwide. Before joining Access Now, she was a researcher on the Technology for Social Justice Field Scan project, where she researched the tech and social justice space in the US. Before that, she was a Ford-Mozilla Open Web Fellow (2016-2017) with Research Action Design and Open Technology Institute. Berhan previously worked with the Alliance for Affordable Internet researching the gender digital divide in Kenya and at the IGAD’s Conflict Early Warning and Early Response Center mitigating violent conflict in East Africa. Berhan holds an MA in Peace Studies and Public Policy from the University of Notre Dame and a BA in International Relations from Malmö University.
Kazakhstan internet

أحلام محطّمة وفرص ضائعة – سنة قضّيناها في مقاومة حجب الإنترنت (#KeepItOn)

9 Mar 2021

أصدرت Access Now و ائتلاف #KeepItOn تقرير عن أخبار حجب الإنترنت يتضمن بيانات عن عام 2020 بأكمله

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أحلام محطّمة وفرص ضائعة – سنة قضّيناها في مقاومة حجب الإنترنت (#KeepItOn)
9 Mar 2021
أحلام محطّمة وفرص ضائعة – سنة قضّيناها في مقاومة حجب الإنترنت (#KeepItOn)
Kazakhstan internet

Rapport : Rêves brisés et opportunités perdues – une année de combat pour #KeepItOn

9 Mar 2021

Access Now et la coalition #KeepItOn a rendu compte de l’actualité de l’arrêt d’Internet avec les données de toute l’année 2020.

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Rapport : Rêves brisés et opportunités perdues – une année de combat pour #KeepItOn
9 Mar 2021
Rapport : Rêves brisés et opportunités perdues – une année de combat pour #KeepItOn
Kazakhstan internet

Internet shutdowns report: Shattered dreams and lost opportunities — a year in the fight to #KeepItOn

3 Mar 2021

Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition report on internet shutdown news, exploring data from the entire year of 2020.

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Internet shutdowns report: Shattered dreams and lost opportunities — a year in the fight to #KeepItOn
3 Mar 2021
Internet shutdowns report: Shattered dreams and lost opportunities — a year in the fight to #KeepItOn
Kazakhstan internet

Informe: Sueños rotos y oportunidades perdidas: un año en la lucha por #KeepItOn

3 Mar 2021
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Informe: Sueños rotos y oportunidades perdidas: un año en la lucha por #KeepItOn
3 Mar 2021
Informe: Sueños rotos y oportunidades perdidas: un año en la lucha por #KeepItOn

MTN’s first transparency report marks a milestone, but raises questions

25 Nov 2020

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. 

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MTN’s first transparency report marks a milestone, but raises questions
25 Nov 2020
MTN’s first transparency report marks a milestone, but raises questions
Transparency reporting index main visual image

MTN transparency could shed new light on digital blackouts in Africa

12 Nov 2020

After years of calls from civil society for transparency and accountability, MTN has taken an important first step.

Press Release
MTN transparency could shed new light on digital blackouts in Africa
12 Nov 2020
MTN transparency could shed new light on digital blackouts in Africa
#KeepItOn-internet-shutdowns-background

Tanzania government censoring mobile networks ahead of presidential election

24 Oct 2020

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.

Press Release
Tanzania government censoring mobile networks ahead of presidential election
24 Oct 2020
Tanzania government censoring mobile networks ahead of presidential election
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Internet censorship in Tanzania: the price of free expression online keeps getting higher

22 Oct 2020

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.

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Internet censorship in Tanzania: the price of free expression online keeps getting higher
22 Oct 2020
Internet censorship in Tanzania: the price of free expression online keeps getting higher

Op-ed: MTN’s opaque policies and role in internet shutdowns trigger alarm bells

29 Sep 2020

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.

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Op-ed: MTN’s opaque policies and role in internet shutdowns trigger alarm bells
29 Sep 2020
Op-ed: MTN’s opaque policies and role in internet shutdowns trigger alarm bells
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Open letter to Facebook on violence-inciting speech: act now to protect Ethiopians

27 Jul 2020

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.

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Open letter to Facebook on violence-inciting speech: act now to protect Ethiopians
27 Jul 2020
Open letter to Facebook on violence-inciting speech: act now to protect Ethiopians