Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia has blocked social media sites for the next few days, after questions from end-of-year exams were posted online last month, sparking a national scandal and leading to their annulment. A government spokesman said the ban was aimed at stopping students taking university entrance …
Read More »VIDEO: Muhwezi calls for law on social media
NBS: The outgoing Ugandan minister for Information and National guidance Major General Jim Muhwezi has challenged the incoming minister for ICT and Information Frank Tumwebaze to come up with a law to control social media usage. Share on: WhatsApp
Read More »Algerians celebrate return of social media after blackout
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Algerian internet users flocked back to social media on Friday following several days of blackout as the government sought to prevent a repeat of leaks of high school test papers. A leak of the papers on social media meant 555,000 out of 800,000 high school …
Read More »Alarming rate of boda-boda deaths spark social media rage
Doreen Tashobya, together with the boda-boda rider who was reported to be her brother, were crashed by a tipper that rammed into them in Entebbe on Tuesday morning. It is the second boda-boda accident that has shocked the nation in the past fortnight. Early this month, tweeps were left …
Read More »Live-streaming of attacks a challenge for social media
Washington, United States | AFP | As more gruesome crimes and attacks show up on live online video, social media platforms are facing new challenges on preventing the spread of gruesome and horrific content. The challenge was underscored in Monday’s deadly attack on a policeman and his wife in France …
Read More »Kayihura asks for Mayor swearing-in to be postponed
The Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura has requested Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to reschedule the swearing in ceremony of the Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, Lord Councillors and Councillors from Wednesday June 1 to Monday June 6. Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga confirmed the request, saying it was “due to …
Read More »Twitter drops photos and videos from 140-character limit
Washington, United States | AFP | Twitter announced Tuesday it was easing its 140-character limit for tweets, allowing users to add links, attachments and some other features within the short messages. The move comes as Twitter’s efforts to increase its user base and engagement have been sputtering, raising questions about …
Read More »THE LAST WORD: A frank memo to Winnie Byanyima
Stop faking holiness. You supported and defended a government that banned all activities of political parties THE LAST WORD: Last week, Oxfam Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, accused me of losing my soul by “supporting dictatorship” and “defending gross human rights abuses”. I asked her to name a single incident where …
Read More »Court order shuts down WhatsApp in Brazil, again
Sao Paulo, Brazil | AFP | Irate Brazilians found themselves without the popular WhatsApp smartphone messaging application for the second time in six months Monday, after a court blocked the service for 72 hours. A flurry of angry commentary immediately broke out online after a small-town judge blocked WhatsApp nationwide …
Read More »UCC “switches off” social media in Uganda on polls day
Uganda Communications Commission UCC has finally come out to explain the very poor internet access that hit the country from midnight to the start of polling day 7.00am February 18 – and later. They switched it off, they said. Many people found it difficult to access social media, especially Facebook, …
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