(Tristan Justice) The president of Uganda temporarily banned Facebook and Twitter from the country this week in the final hours leading up to elections on Thursday, arguing the platforms engaged in unfair censorship to prop up the opposition candidate.
by Tristan Justice, January 12th, 2020
Don Wanyama, a spokesman for Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, on Monday took aim at Facebook in particular in an interview with the Associated Press for stripping accounts linked to the incumbent’s campaign.
“Facebook is interfering in the electoral process of Uganda,” Wanyama said. “If people wanted to have evidence of outside interference, now they have it.”
The President warns that if the social media channels like @Facebook and @Twitter are not being friendly and equitable to some of the Ugandans, then there is no reason as to why we should have them operate here. @OfwonoOpondo #M7Address pic.twitter.com/OOBioV3nGe
— Government of Uganda (@GovUganda) January 12, 2021
Facebook told the AP that the global platform took down users promoting Museveni because the campaign “used fake and duplicate accounts to manage pages, comment on other people’s content, impersonate users, re-share posts in groups to make them appear more popular than they were. Given the impending election in Uganda, we moved quickly to investigate and take down this network.”
The censorship, however, prompted Museveni to implement a ban on all big tech operations in the African country as its voters head to the polls, concluding a campaign described by Reuters as wrought with intimidation and “marred by brutal crackdowns on opposition rallies that have left scores dead.”
NetBlocks told Reuters its analysis showed that Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, Skype, Snapchat, Viber, and Google Play were among a long list of online platforms that were down.
Twitter, which joined Facebook and Instagram to permanently ban President Donald Trump from its platform last week, condemned the censorship on Tuesday.
“We strongly condemn internet shutdowns,” the Silicon Valley tech giant released in a statement, while shutting down thousands of conservative accounts in an online purge.
This week’s Ugandan censorship of Facebook and Twitter is not the first time Museveni’s government has blocked the big tech platforms as voters headed to the polls. Museveni banned each platform on election day in 2016.
Fight viruses, remove heavy metals and microplastics, and restore your gut all at once with
Humic and Fulvic Acid from Ascent Nutrition.
MUST HAVE DETOX POWERHOUSE!
Save 10% and get free shipping with a subscription!
About The Author
Tristan Justice is a staff writer at The Federalist focusing on the 2020 presidential campaigns. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at Tristan@thefederalist.com.
Stillness in the Storm Editor: Why did we post this?
The news is important to all people because it is where we come to know new things about the world, which leads to the development of more life goals that lead to life wisdom. The news also serves as a social connection tool, as we tend to relate to those who know about and believe the things we do. With the power of an open truth-seeking mind in hand, the individual can grow wise and the collective can prosper.
– Justin
Not sure how to make sense of this? Want to learn how to discern like a pro? Read this essential guide to discernment, analysis of claims, and understanding the truth in a world of deception: 4 Key Steps of Discernment – Advanced Truth-Seeking Tools.
Stillness in the Storm Editor’s note: Did you find a spelling error or grammatical mistake? Send an email to corrections@stillnessinthestorm.com, with the error and suggested correction, along with the headline and url. Do you think this article needs an update? Or do you just have some feedback? Send us an email at sitsshow@gmail.com. Thank you for reading.
Source:
Leave a Reply