Highlights from the ever-evolving world of technology
Welcome to the third edition of our newsletter, where we bring you highlights from the ever-evolving world of technology.
Undersea cable outages disrupt Internet access in West and Central Africa
?The Internet remains a major catalyst in connecting people worldwide, facilitating global trade, fueling innovation, fostering collaboration and amplifying voices for social change. In an interconnected world such as the one we currently are living in, a disrupted Internet can, therefore, impede progress, economic growth and social cohesion.
This week, some countries in West and Central Africa went without internet after undersea cable failures. Countries affected included Ivory Coast, Liberia, Benin, Ghana, and Burkina Faso, among others. According to The Guardian , the cause of the cable failures was not clear.
?2G is the most dominant technology in Nigeria
The latest report by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed that 2G is the most dominant technology in Nigeria’s mobile market, with 57.84 per cent of individuals in the country’s 224.7 million mobile subscriptions being on the network. This was as of December 2023.
According to Leadership Nigeria , the NCC report indicated that 31.33 per cent of those subscriptions were on 4G, 9.80 per cent on 3G and 1.04 per cent on 5G, notwithstanding continuous network investments by telecommunication organisations such as MTN.
The digital divide, which exists in aspects such as internet access, computer literacy, and the necessary skills to navigate the digital world, has widened in Nigeria as a result of developments in global technology.
Kenya ranks top in the 2023 Eastern Africa Youth Digital Readiness Index
Kenya has emerged top of the Eastern Africa Youth Digital Readiness Index, followed by Rwanda and Uganda. A report by Qhala, a digital transformation and innovation company, has ranked Ethiopia and Tanzania in the 4th and 5th positions, with Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Somalia in the 6th, 7th and 8th positions, respectively.
In an article published by TechTrends , Qhala takes into consideration factors such as digital skills, government support and online safety, with a goal of identifying areas of improvement and promoting collaboration across the region to bridge digital divide and empower young people.
Great strides in AI Regulation
Countries across the world have been grappling with the regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This week, these efforts received a major boost following the passing of the AI Law by the European Union, ensuring safety and compliance with fundamental rights while boosting innovation.
The Law has formulated obligations for AI based on its potential risks and level of impact, a welcome move that bans some AI applications that threaten citizen rights, including biometric categorisation systems based on sensitive characteristics and untargeted scraping of facial images from the Internet or CCTV footage to create facial recognition databases. It further enables consumers to file complaints and receive meaningful explanations.
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This comes several weeks after the African Union Development Agency published a White Paper on AI regulations for African countries. If it focuses on regulation and responsible AI for Africa towards the achievement of AU Agenda 2063. In October last year, the United States issued an executive order on AI requiring more transparency from AI companies on how their models work and establishing new standards for labelling AI-generated content. Last July, China also developed rules to govern Generative AI .
Safeguard freedom of expression online, PIN urges
During the World Day Against #CyberCensorship commemorated this week, Paradigm Initiative issued a statement calling on governments in the Global South that hold elections to safeguard human rights online by promoting freedom of expression and access to information during elections. The call follows digital rights violations witnessed in several countries.
PIN, Access Now, and ASF France Nigeria call for reversal of a directive to disconnect millions of Nigerians from mobile phone and Internet services
Paradigm Initiative, Access Now and ASF France Nigeria this week issued a Joint Statement calling on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to reverse its latest order directing Telecommunication Companies (Telcos) to disconnect millions of Nigerians from mobile phone and internet services for failing to link their SIM cards to their National Identification Numbers and end biometric SIM registration in Nigeria
Coalition ?publishes recommendations on UN Code of Conduct on Information Integrity on Digital Platforms
The National Coalition on Freedom of Expression and Content Moderation in Kenya (FECoMo) has published expert recommendations on the proposed UN Code of Conduct on Information Integrity on Digital Platforms ahead of the UN Summit of the Future 2024. These recommendations will provide insights and African perspectives on the process of global norms-setting in multilateral spaces.
The coalition comprises multidisciplinary stakeholders committed to addressing the challenge of potentially harmful content online. Members organisations include Paradigm Initiative, Media Council of Kenya, Article 19 and KICTANet among others.
Join the Net Rights Coalition Call on Content Moderation and AI in the year of elections
More than 70 countries across the world are set to hold elections, 23 of them in Africa. On March 20th, the Net Rights Coalition will hold its Quarterly Learning Call spearheaded by Paradigm Initiative. The call will take a deep dive into content moderation in the year of many elections to avert likely digital rights violations, understand and address how tech companies address information challenges during elections and formulate strategies to address likely digital rights concerns. Register via: ?https://bit.ly/48WnU5V ?to join and follow the discussion. French translation will be available.
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