FREDERICO LINKS JUNE 2024 - PROBLEMATIC INFLUENCES: African national security narratives

In May 2019 the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association noted in this regard: “A surge in legislation and policies aimed at combating cybercrime has also opened the door to punishing and surveilling activists and protesters in many countries around the world. [...] The narrative that many Africans across the continent have had to come to terms with over the years is one that forces them to accept that they have to basically give up their right to communications and online privacy in exchange for safety and security. [...] What can be done about this? While the power imbalance between the state and civil society, and the news media, is a real concern, it nevertheless remains the case that Namibian civil society and news media need to counter state national security narratives that could enable human rights violations, both online and offline, limit the emergence of robust online civic spaces, and undermine digital d. [...] Targeted policy advocacy and sustained activism around the issues raised in this report should be considered as viable to spread information about the state’s problematic national security narratives and framings in the context of cyberspace and digital technology law and regulation crafting and enforcement. [...] CIPESA’s establishment in 2004 was in response to the findings of the Louder Voices Report for DFiD, which cited the lack of easy, affordable and timely access to information about ICT related issues and processes as a key barrier to effective and inclusive ICT policy making in Africa.