A Swelling Wave: Internet Shutdowns in Africa
March 18, 2025
Another dinobaby blog post. No AI involved which could be good or bad depending on one’s point of view.
How does a government deal with information it does not like, want, or believe? The question is a pragmatic one. Not long ago, Russia suggested to Telegram that it cut the flow of Messenger content to Chechnya. Telegram has been somewhat more responsive to government requests since Pavel Durov’s detainment in France, but it dragged its digital feet. The fix? The Kremlin worked with service providers to kill off the content flow or at least as much of it as was possible. Similar methods have been used in other semi-enlightened countries.
“Internet Shutdowns at Record High in Africa As Access Weaponised’ reports:
A report released by the internet rights group Access Now and #KeepItOn, a coalition of hundreds of civil society organisations worldwide, found there were 21 shutdowns in 15 African countries, surpassing the existing record of 19 shutdowns in 2020 and 2021.
There are workarounds, but some of these are expensive and impractical for the people in Cormoros, Guinea-Bassau, Mauritius, Burundi, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, and Kenya. I am not sure the list is complete, but the idea of killing Internet access seems to be an accepted response in some countries.
Several observations:
- Recent announcements about Google making explicit its access to users’ browser histories provide a rich and actionable pool of information. Will these type of data be used to pinpoint a dissident or a problematic individual? In my visits to Africa, including the thrilling Zimbabwe, I would suggest that the answer could be, “Absolutely.”
- Online is now pervasive, and due to a lack of meaningful regulation, the idea of going online and sharing information is a negative. In the late 1980s, I gave a lecture for ASIS at Rutgers University. I pointed out that flows of information work like silica grit in a sand blasting device to remove rust in an autobody shop. I can say from personal experience that no one knew what I was talking about. In 40 years, people and governments have figured out how online flows erode structures and social conventions.
- The trend of shutdown is now in the playbook of outfits around the world. Commercial companies can play the game of killing a service too. Certain large US high technology companies have made it clear that their service would summarily be blocked if certain countries did not play ball the US way.
As a dinobaby who has worked in online for decades, I find it interesting that the pigeons are coming home to roost. A failure years ago to recognize and establish rules and regulation for online is the same as having those lovable birds loose in the halls of government. What do pigeons produce? Yep, that’s right. A mess, a potentially deadly one too.
Stephen E Arnold, March 18, 2025
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