Following Uganda’s government decision to restrict access to social media and the internet in general, Ugandans have realized the importance of the internet in their daily lives. Not only were social media sites affected, but also the adult entertainment industry.
Despite being familiar with Virtual Private Networks (VPN’s) after the government of Uganda ordered a closure on all local and international escort & porn websites, the closure came as a major hit to new websites and clients who were not familiar with the escorting concept before the blockage. Ugandan men are used to escorting for appointment scheduling for massage, erotic services, and companionship.
Online businesses operating in Uganda recorded a falling surge in the number of people visiting their websites and reading articles online. Kenya’s tech website TechWeez & NetBlocks reported that internet activity stood at only 13% of the usual internet traffic.
This comes at a time when the globe is concerned over internet governance, privacy issues, and the right to information. Although not publicly discussed & condemned. Denial of access to the internet by the Ugandan authorities is against the declaration of the United Nation’s rights charter. According to the UN, the internet is a fundamental human right and should be respected as such.
As speculations on Uganda’s general election and the closure of the internet emerge, the question that most Ugandans can’t stop asking themselves is if there is any way to protect their privacy and evade these restrictions that hinder their right to access information and online services.
We always advise and encourage our esteemed clients to make use of VPN’s, proxies and where possible, the use of the TOR network to avoid invasion of privacy and limitation to access of internet services.
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