Grantee Project
On May 30, 2013, the Ugandan government announced that it would form a social media monitoring center “to weed out those who use this media to damage the government and people’s reputations,” and also targeted at those “bent to cause a security threat to the nation. In recent years, some government departments have restricted the right of citizens to seek, receive and access information through digital technologies, ordering a temporary shutdown of services like SMS, and instructing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block access to some websites.
On November 28, 2013, CIPESA, in conjunction with Unwanted Witness Uganda, organised a workshop on promoting Internet rights in Uganda. The workshop aimed to create awareness among civil society, netizens, and the media in Uganda on how policy and practice affect Internet freedoms in the country. The workshop also sought to develop strategies for network building and advocacy to promote and protect online freedoms in Uganda.
The activities funded by Web We Want fed directly into CIPESA’s wider work in online freedoms. The grant helped CIPESA to convene a meeting of multiple stakeholders to discuss key threats to online freedoms in Uganda, and to draw up a strategy involving multiple actors in advocating for online freedoms. Through these activities, CIPESA was able to increase awareness of online freedoms and the need to promote and fight for these freedoms.
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