Hi, it’s Roary again, the mascot of UPROAR, a @small_media project. I help human rights defenders unleash their superpowers at the United Nations. In Part 2 of this series we check in with our advocates to find out how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting digital rights in: Kenya, Gambia, Jordan and Rwanda. You can read Part 1 here.
- Kenya (KiCKTAnet)
- Gambia (GIVE 1 Project)
- Jordan (Jordan Open Source Association)
- Rwanda (CIPESA)
False information spread faster than the virus
Our UPRoar advocates report that bloggers, journalists and even MPs have been grilled over allegations of spreading false information about COVID-19.
🇰🇪🇰🇪 Kenya 🇰🇪🇰🇪
On 20 March 2020, Kenyan blogger Robert Alai was arrested for publishing a Tweet claiming two people had died as a result of COVID-19 in Mombasa.
Authorities refuted this and argued his actions had contravened the Computer Misuse and Cyber Crimes Act, 2018. Robert Alai was subsequently released on bail and was barred from posting such information on social media.
MP John Kiarie Tweeted that more than 7,000 Kenyans were in mandatory quarantine at Lenana School and Kinyanjui Technical Institute. Health authorities said the claims were exaggerated and that there were 2,050 Kenyans in mandatory quarantine at that time. Kiarie was detained and questioned for three hours at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations before being released.
🇬🇲🇬🇲 Gambia 🇬🇲🇬🇲
In Gambia, the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) called the individuals who publish misleading or unfounded information about COVID-19 “unscrupulous” and warned there will be harsher punishments and consequences compared to just questioning and warning by the police for Gambians.
“The Agency wishes to inform the general public to desist from such acts as it contravenes Section. 125 of the NDMA Act of 2008, which states, ‘A person who, without lawful authority, makes or circulates a false alarm or warning as to a threatening disaster situation or disaster or its severity or magnitude, leading to panic, commits an offence and is liable on conviction, to a fine not exceeding five hundred thousand dalasis or imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years, or to both the fine and imprisonment’.”
Alieu Sowe, Gambia Country Director with Give1 Project says: “When the COVID-19 outbreak started the government of The Gambia wasn’t informing the citizens about their preparedness hence everyone started making their own news.”
🇯🇴🇯🇴 Jordan 🇯🇴🇯🇴
The government of Jordan has activated the 1992 Defence Law to crack down on rumour spreading through activating the 1992 Defence Law.
On March 17th, upon enacting the Defense Law, the Prime Minister stated that: “A distinction must be made between the right to express an opinion, which is inviolable, and the spread of rumors, slanders and false information that could cause panic. We will deal with [the latter] firmly”.
Raya Sharbain, a program coordinator in Jordan Open Source Association (JOSA) says: “There have been numerous reports of people being detained for spreading rumours related to COVID-19 from early March, and without solid legal backing.”
Studies by the Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor (Akeed) demonstrate a slight decrease of rumours being spread on social media networks from March to April, citing a Defense Order enacted on April 15th as a probable cause.
The Defense Order in question is the eighth emergency decree announced by the government since enacting the Defense Law on March 17th. Under the decree, anyone caught spreading news that would “terrorise” or “cause panic” to the public could face either up to a three-year sentence or a penalty of 3,000 Jordanian Dinars (USD 4,231), or both depending on the case.
The most talked-about case is that of the general manager Fares Sayegh and journalist Mohammad Alkhalidi of Ro’ya TV, a local private news station, who were detained, imprisoned, then released on bail. It is assumed, but never confirmed by authorities, that their arrest was due to a viral video report showing workers lamenting the harsh economic effect of the lockdown.
🇷🇼🇷🇼 Rwanda 🇷🇼🇷🇼
In the aftermath of COVID-19 related restrictions, in place since March 2020, there have been reports of arrests of journalists and video bloggers covering abuse by security forces.
The Rwanda Media Commission, a local media self-regulation body issued a statement to journalists saying that those who run YouTube channels will no longer be allowed to conduct interviews.
Article 56 of Law N°22/2009 of 12/08/2009 on Media in Rwanda says:
“Every person has the right to receive, disseminate or send information through the internet. He/she is entitled to the right of creating a website through which he/she disseminates the information to many people. Posting or sending information through the internet does not require the user to be a professional journalist.”
A series of arrests of YouTubers and online journalists that produce and broadcast content on YouTube occurred. On April 15, Dieudonné Niyonsenga, also known as Cyuma Hassan, the owner of Ishema TV, was arrested with his driver, Fidèle Komezusenge. Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) accused Niyonsenga of ‘violating the lockdown measures and giving Komezusenge an unauthorized press pass’.
Track and Trace online
🇰🇪🇰🇪 Kenya 🇰🇪🇰🇪
In Kenya, the Ministry of Health is collecting personal details at the various ports of entry, and conducting contact tracing and surveillance of mobile phones of persons as part of contact tracing. Human Rights groups have warned that an increase in state digital surveillance, such as obtaining access to mobile phone location data, threatens privacy, freedom of expression and freedom of association.
The government has increased its use of video conferencing for meetings. Parliament is using social media e.g. Twitter and Facebook to communicate with the public. The government has also introduced funds for artists to provide entertainment online. However, there are criteria and content guidelines that some artists believe compromises their artistic freedom and integrity. The cabinet secretary of culture and sport, Amina Mohammed, indicated in a TV interview that, for example in making their music, musicians are to convey messages of hope, well doing and better tomorrow and also to convey the directives of the ministry of health in response to the pandemic.
🇬🇲🇬🇲 Gambia 🇬🇲🇬🇲
The Gambian government’s response team from the Ministry of Health is undertaking contact mapping of high risk areas. They are also conducting mass testing for Covid-19 and collecting the personal data of individuals who have been tested for Covid-19.
“The internet is apparently everyone’s best friend including the central government. The government uses all media platforms including the internet for their press releases. Daily updates are shared online for the general public”, says Alieu Sowe, Gambia Country Director with Give1Project.
🇯🇴🇯🇴 Jordan 🇯🇴🇯🇴
On May 5th, the Jordanian Minister of Health announced that the government had 10,000 GPS tracking bracelets in its possession to track people quarantining at home, particularly those returning from abroad and who are required to shelter-in-place for 14 days after the 17-day mandatory quarantine in government facilities.
People returning from abroad and required to quarantine must download the Bader application and wear an electronic bracelet. Bader was launched to monitor people returning to Jordan and required to quarantine at home. The application sends a notification periodically for the user to confirm their location.
As lockdowns and curfews were put in place, citizens’ relationship with the government became almost entirely digital. The government was quick to release a portal for people to gain access to health-related information and relevant hotlines through corona.moh.gov.jo.
As the government began to lift lockdown measures and allow certain sectors to resume operation, officials sought a method for monitoring compliance to rules.
On May 8th, the National Crisis Centre launched an application called CRadar for Android which allows users to report whether they have witnessed a large gathering (e.g. wedding, iftar) and/or whether they have encountered a person whom they suspect displays symptoms of the virus.
According to the ICT Association of Jordan (int@j) and as of July 15th, 10k installs on Android, not sure how many on iOS.
Moreover, the government has been promoting e-wallets for citizens to receive their salaries while working from home and because cashless payments have been touted as a safer alternative to paper bills and coins. E-wallets are also endorsed to “protect workers’ rights”, however it is unclear how this protection is afforded. It is wholly unclear whether transaction data processed through e-wallets is being monitored, particularly with a policy void for data protection.
Late May the Government of Jordan announced a contact tracing application called Aman, which (at the time of writing) is voluntary to download and use. At the time of writing the application had 700K downloads. The application is closed source and, in a data protection policy void, there’s little protection of personal data, let alone accountability, beyond technical protections such as data being locally stored.
There’s also a new app that was released “Sehtak” (meaning Your Health in Arabic) which shares up-to-date information about COVID-19 in Jordan.
On a positive note, the government has been stringent on protecting the personal privacy of persons infected with the virus. When a list of patients who had come in contact with an infected person was leaked, the State Minister of Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh publicly apologised for the mistake and stated that it’s “a mistake that will not be repeated”.
The government went so far as to take on this issue in Defense Law Order (number 8), which penalises the sharing of personal identity of infected persons and people who have come in contact with infected persons via social media channels.
This move could have been influenced by a case in mid-March in which a Jordanian tribe threatened to file a complaint to the Cybercrime unit against persons who “offended” and “ridiculed” the tribe’s image on social media accounts. The tribe had held a wedding which led to a COVID-19 cluster of infections and the subsequent closure of the northern city.
🇷🇼🇷🇼 Rwanda 🇷🇼🇷🇼
Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) is also using phone data profiles to trace people who had contact with Covid-19 patients. However, the recent new method after the lockdown was partially lifted is controversial. It involves the registration of personal data at restaurants and hotels. This worried some people who expressed concerns via social media over their privacy. The directive was issued by Rwanda Development Board to all hospitality players such as coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, etc.
The Ministry of Health has been releasing daily updates on Twitter through a report on confirmed cases, recoveries, tests, death. Then the Ministry started a twitter Q&A where people could ask questions and get answered by the ministry of health.
A recent improvement on government using online tools is the use of infographics in their daily update.
Rwanda Biomedical Centre, a government body under the Ministry of Health, is also using online tools to inform Rwandans and residents on Covid-19.
Weak internet vs a strong virus
🇰🇪 🇰🇪 KENYA 🇰🇪 🇰🇪
The challenge has been slower connections resulting from more usage of internet services in Kenya. KICKtanet has made submissions to Parliament and Judiciary on use of ICTs.
🇬🇲🇬🇲 Gambia 🇬🇲🇬🇲
In Gambia, citizens still experience disruption of the internet due to maintenance, as the authorities would always announce. Sometimes there is no prior warning before the disruption.
🇷🇼🇷🇼 RWANDA 🇷🇼🇷🇼
Rwanda has been experiencing poor internet connection too. The slow speed has been attributed to network congestion in residential areas during lockdowns as many people were working from home. Others complained on social media. The telecom regulator has ordered telecoms to improve their network.
🇯🇴🇯🇴 JORDAN 🇯🇴🇯🇴
On the contrary in Jordan, there has been only one total outage reported which lasted 1h30 on April 3rd at 19:30 local time. The outage was felt nationwide and across all service providers. There are also received reports of Facebook Live and video streaming disruptions on the evening of May 20th. No explanation for these disruptions reported. In the latter case, Jordan Open Source Association (JOSA) advised users via our social media channels to download a VPN if they are unable to access content. JOSA is unable to assign a cause to these cases, whether they were due to a technical mishap or an intentional interference.
Fighters keep fighting
🇬🇲🇬🇲 Gambia 🇬🇲🇬🇲
Give One Project Gambia organizes weekly webinars on means of engaging the public. They also work with other organizations and the National response team to help with patient locating using google plus codes considering Gambia has no specific addresses.
🇯🇴🇯🇴 JORDAN 🇯🇴🇯🇴
The staff and volunteers of Jordan Open Source Association (JOSA) argue that the open source movement has done so many good things for the society at the time of emergency and can continue to do so. Raya Sharbain from JOSA Says: “Shortage of PPEs and ventilators has been felt worldwide and makers rose to the opportunity to DIY all sorts of things that could help people keep safe. Makers in Jordan did no less, and one striking achievement is when, amidst the strict curfew, a friend and maker managed to gain access to ventilator spare parts from a local public hospital, and reverse engineer them for 3D printing. And of course, he’s open sourced all the design.”
🇷🇼🇷🇼 RWANDA 🇷🇼🇷🇼
In Rwanda, e-commerce thrived during lockdown as people had to stay home. Hopefully it will continue. Furthermore, a fund was set up for entrepreneurs who bring responses to COVID-19; an initiative designed to prop up solutions for cushioning Covid-19 impact on the Rwandan population.
Over 400 submissions were made and four local projects have won grants worth more than Rwf100 million (£80K) in total.
- The Ihangane Project has come up with a solution by providing Community Health Workers and nurses with an updated E-Heza, a patient-centered data system for acute illness screening, diagnosis, treatment and care management.
- Made-in-Rwanda Emergency ventilator, Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centre to build a low-cost emergency ventilator to help patients in critical condition due to Covid-19. Apart from responding to the outbreak, the ventilators can be used normally in ICU, and the team is also developing a version that can be used in an ambulance.
- Iriba Water Group Ltd, The company’s winning solution is a tap-and-drink booth that lets the public access affordable drinking water at any time of need. Referred to as water ATMs, the kiosks are placed in crowded areas such as areas and the public uses reusable bottles or cups to avoid single-use plastics.
- Insightiv, developed an artificial intelligence-powered radiology system that allows medical imaging specialists to serve patients countrywide in a short time, remotely.
You can read about our advocates in Lebanon, Turkey, Liberia and Malawi in Part 1 of this series. And if you’d like to find out more about UPRoar, you can follow us on Twitter or, better yet, check out our new suite of digital advocacy tools.
