Uganda charges for daily use of Whats and Facebook to “reduce gossip”

The Ugandan Parliament will now explore the use of popular apps and one of the reasons for this is somewhat controversial. President Yoweri Museveni says the move was taken because the platforms would be encouraging the spread of gossip and the revenue will be used to pay off the country's debts. The information is from G1.

By 2016, access to social networks had already been blocked during the elections.

The new law charges 200 shillings a day to Facebook, WhatsApp, Viber and Twitter users. Financial transactions made by smartphones also entered the text, which will take effect from July 1. Data plans are currently untaxed because Museveni considers web access important for “educational, search, and referral” purposes.

The funds raised would be used to "maintain the country's security and expand access to electricity so that people can enjoy social networks more, " officials said. By 2016, social networks were already in the sights of the government, as they were an important political tool in electoral races, both for the situation and for the opposition. At the time, they were forbidden to "prevent lies from spreading."

Measure criticized by experts and influences other African countries

Experts and at least one of the internet providers in the African country are already questioning the fee and demanding explanations of how it will apply as there is currently no way to guarantee that all active SIM cards are registered. In addition, of the 23.6 million subscribers to mobile phone plans, just over 17 million use the internet.

Critics, who in 2016 were already against limiting access to social networks, continue to say that the law goes against freedom of expression. On the other hand, other East African countries have jumped on the wave and are passing similar laws, equally questioned by activists.

In Tanzania there are restrictions on bloggers, who need to shell out an amount or disclose their sponsors. In Kenya, a new cybercrime law came into force on May 30 and bloggers are fighting in court to suspend a measure that vetoes "false information" - in fact, the government would be using this prerogative to silence independent media.

Uganda charges for daily use of Whats and Facebook to “decrease gossip” via TecMundo