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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.

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وسط احتجاجات مناهضة للحكومة، تعيش العراق انقطاع شامل عن العالم جراء قطع الإنترنت

4 Oct 2019
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وسط احتجاجات مناهضة للحكومة، تعيش العراق انقطاع شامل عن العالم جراء قطع الإنترنت
4 Oct 2019
وسط احتجاجات مناهضة للحكومة، تعيش العراق انقطاع شامل عن العالم جراء قطع الإنترنت

Amid massive anti-government protests, a near total internet shutdown in Iraq

4 Oct 2019

In Iraq, 75% of the country remains cut off from the internet amid anti-government protests and a rising death toll. To keep people safe and protect human rights, authorities must #KeepItOn.

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Amid massive anti-government protests, a near total internet shutdown in Iraq
4 Oct 2019
Amid massive anti-government protests, a near total internet shutdown in Iraq
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As Myanmar marks 101 days of internet shutdowns, the #KeepItOn coalition urges full restoration of internet access

30 Sep 2019

In the midst of conflict and a refugee crisis in Myanmar, people in at least four townships continue to suffer a deliberate internet blackout. We urge the government to restore access to the internet and keep it on.

Press Release
As Myanmar marks 101 days of internet shutdowns, the #KeepItOn coalition urges full restoration of internet access
30 Sep 2019
As Myanmar marks 101 days of internet shutdowns, the #KeepItOn coalition urges full restoration of internet access
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Coalition letter on Myanmar: 101 days of internet shutdowns

30 Sep 2019

As Myanmar marks 101 days of internet shutdowns, members of the global #KeepitOn coalition call on the government to restore internet access.

Press Release
Coalition letter on Myanmar: 101 days of internet shutdowns
30 Sep 2019
Coalition letter on Myanmar: 101 days of internet shutdowns
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#KeepItOn coalition warns internet shutdowns would further hurt Hong Kong

3 Sep 2019

Censoring platforms or shutting down the internet in Hong Kong would make the already unstable situation even more unpredictable and chaotic.

Press Release
#KeepItOn coalition warns internet shutdowns would further hurt Hong Kong
3 Sep 2019
#KeepItOn coalition warns internet shutdowns would further hurt Hong Kong
Collage of images about #KeepItOn

#KeepItOn: Joint open letter on keeping the internet open and secure in Jammu and Kashmir

14 Aug 2019

The global #KeepItOn coalition, representing more than 191 organizations from 60+ countries, asks the Union Government of India to restore the internet in Jammu and Kashmir and keep it on.

Press Release
#KeepItOn: Joint open letter on keeping the internet open and secure in Jammu and Kashmir
14 Aug 2019
#KeepItOn: Joint open letter on keeping the internet open and secure in Jammu and Kashmir
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Joint letter to MTN calling for transparency around internet shutdowns in Sudan

9 Jul 2019

As the internet shutdown is lifted after more than a month of blackouts in Sudan, members of the #KeepItOn coalition call on mobile service provider MTN to provide transparency and pledge its support to maintain unfettered internet access going forward.

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Joint letter to MTN calling for transparency around internet shutdowns in Sudan
9 Jul 2019
Joint letter to MTN calling for transparency around internet shutdowns in Sudan
Senegal Internet Shutdowns

Report: the state of internet shutdowns

8 Jul 2019

Access Now’s STOP project documented 196 cases of internet shutdowns worldwide in 2018. Read the complete report to learn about internet shutdowns and how the #KeepItOn coalition fights back.

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Report: the state of internet shutdowns
8 Jul 2019
Report: the state of internet shutdowns
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#IAmTheSudanRevolution: There’s a direct link between internet shutdowns and human rights violations in Sudan

11 Jun 2019

While the internet has been shut off,  several reports indicate that more than 100 people have been killed, over 700 injured and at least 70 raped. Sudan must restore access immediately and #KeepItOn.

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#IAmTheSudanRevolution: There’s a direct link between internet shutdowns and human rights violations in Sudan
11 Jun 2019
#IAmTheSudanRevolution: There’s a direct link between internet shutdowns and human rights violations in Sudan
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Benin heads to elections without social media and opposition parties

28 Apr 2019

Social media platforms were blocked, then internet access was cut entirely.

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Benin heads to elections without social media and opposition parties
28 Apr 2019
Benin heads to elections without social media and opposition parties