Region: South Africa
How governments can strengthen data protection in Africa
Digitisation in Africa has led many countries to develop data protection laws. We explore ways to strengthen these frameworks.
Strengthening data protection in Africa: key issues for implementation
Access Now’s new publication on understanding the data protection framework in Africa
Courts must #KeepItOn to protect the right to education
Governments cite administration of education as a rationale for internet shutdowns during exams. Here’s why shutdowns are never compatible with the right to education.
Open letter to MTN’s new Chief Executive Officer: open the door to civil society
The undersigned civil society organizations, write to invite Ralph Mupita, new Chief Executive Officer at MTN, into dialogue with our community, and provide guidance on how telcos like MTN can better respect the human rights of their users.
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.
Access Now brief: how African countries can shape cybercrime laws that protect rights
We analyze draft laws in four countries, providing guidance to help legislators protect human rights.
South Africa draft cybersecurity and cybercrime bill misses the mark
The South African government is considering a draft bill that, as written, undermines the rights to privacy, lacks transparency, and chills security research and online expression.
In failing to honor its obligations for international legal assistance, U.S. harms all users
Last week, Access and a number of allies sent a letter to Congressional leadership calling for improvements to the U.S. MLAT system. We point out that the current failure of the U.S. to comply quickly with requests for international legal assistance pushes governments to use other means of obtaining information, including surveillance, that infringe users’ rights and risk the integrity and interoperability of the internet.
Access welcomes MTN Human Rights Policy
The South Africa-based telco MTN, which operates in 21 countries across the Middle East and Africa, recently released its first Group Human Rights Policy. MTN announced its support for user rights to privacy, security, communication and information, using the Access “Telco Action Plan” as a guiding policy document.