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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.

Pakistan shutdowns internet

Pakistan shuts down the internet three times in one week

6 Nov 2018

Regardless of the rationale for imposing these shutdowns, all three did what shutdowns do: damage human rights, put people in danger, and hurt the economy.

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Pakistan shuts down the internet three times in one week
6 Nov 2018
Pakistan shuts down the internet three times in one week
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#KeepitOn: Joint letter on keeping the internet open and secure during Cameroon’s election

7 Oct 2018

On behalf of the more than 170 organizations from over 60 countries, the #KeepitOn Coalition urges Cameroon authorities to keep the internet on.

Press Release
#KeepitOn: Joint letter on keeping the internet open and secure during Cameroon’s election
7 Oct 2018
#KeepitOn: Joint letter on keeping the internet open and secure during Cameroon’s election
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العراق فرض “حظر التجول” على الإنترنت في امتحانات المدارس، ووزارة الاتصالات تنفي

6 Sep 2018

السلطات العراقية تقطع الأنترنت من جديد لمدة 10 أيام بسبب الإمتحانات

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العراق فرض “حظر التجول” على الإنترنت في امتحانات المدارس، ووزارة الاتصالات تنفي
6 Sep 2018
العراق فرض “حظر التجول” على الإنترنت في امتحانات المدارس، ووزارة الاتصالات تنفي
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Iraq imposes internet “curfew” for school exams, but says it has no intention to cut internet

5 Sep 2018

Iraq is imposing curfew-style internet shutdowns, where the internet is shut down repeatedly, routinely blacking out online communications on an ongoing basis.

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Iraq imposes internet “curfew” for school exams, but says it has no intention to cut internet
5 Sep 2018
Iraq imposes internet “curfew” for school exams, but says it has no intention to cut internet

Old habits die hard: Ethiopia blocks internet in the eastern part of the country again

7 Aug 2018

Despite a renewed commitment from the government to respect free expression online, Ethiopia has shut down the internet in the entire eastern part of the country amid growing tensions.

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Old habits die hard: Ethiopia blocks internet in the eastern part of the country again
7 Aug 2018
Old habits die hard: Ethiopia blocks internet in the eastern part of the country again

India cuts internet access for school exams, doubles down on rights-harming shutdowns

23 Jul 2018

Shutdowns during exams are increasingly common in countries like Iraq and Algeria, despite the harm they cause to human rights and the economy. But it’s relatively new in India, and it must be stopped.

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India cuts internet access for school exams, doubles down on rights-harming shutdowns
23 Jul 2018
India cuts internet access for school exams, doubles down on rights-harming shutdowns
Pakistan shutdowns internet

An internet shutdown during Pakistan’s elections? Not on our watch

23 Jul 2018

As Pakistan prepares to go to the polls on July 25, civil society is keeping watch and documenting any interference with free expression online. Will you join us?

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An internet shutdown during Pakistan’s elections? Not on our watch
23 Jul 2018
An internet shutdown during Pakistan’s elections? Not on our watch

Ethiopia: Verifying the unblocking of websites

3 Jul 2018

Access Now and OONI publish a report showing which sites are no longer blocked in Ethiopia, and call for lifting the block on the remaining sites and reform of the laws that silence dissenting voices.

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Ethiopia: Verifying the unblocking of websites
3 Jul 2018
Ethiopia: Verifying the unblocking of websites