Featured stories about Technology
Stories about Technology
30 March 2020
After being kidnapped and threatened, Mozambican YouTuber has his channel suspended
In early February, he was kidnapped for 24 hours, before he was freed by the police. A self-proclaimed prophet named Joe Williams is suspected of ordering the kidnapping.
19 March 2020
Refugees in Ethiopia's camps raise privacy and exclusion concerns over UNHCR’s new digital registration
Biometric registration enables refugees to secure a digital ID that gives them access to aid. Their use has raised serious concerns about privacy and exclusion among refugees in Ethiopia.
3 March 2020
Lost in translation: Why Google Translate often gets Yorùbá — and other languages — wrong
As more tech companies attempt to provide translation and access to multiple languages online, controversies and challenges arise — especially when it comes to accuracy and cultural nuance.
2 March 2020
Philippine media groups celebrate as tech companies accused of cyber attacks pledge to promote press freedom
"This is a small victory in our fight for press freedom. We call on all tech companies not to allow their infrastructure to be used by enemies of the truth."
Internet shutdowns in 2019: India continued to top list of worst offenders
In 2019, access to the internet was disrupted 121 times in India alone, says Access Now in a new report.
Could Russia's ‘Sovereign Internet’ go international?
"Russia is not seeking to isolate itself from the world, rather to create a precedent which other states aspiring to sovereignty over their segments of the internet can follow," says...
28 February 2020
YouTuber in Mozambique kidnapped after denouncing a self-proclaimed prophet
In some of his YouTube videos, the user "Beleza em pessoa" criticized Mozambican prophets.
Twitter urged to take action against harassment of female reporter in Brazil
The smear campaign against Folha de S. Paulo journalist Patrícia Campos Mello is one of several cases of harassment against reporters that have taken place recently in Brazil.
25 February 2020
Argentine NGO documenting human rights violations nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
"Every recovered bone and identified remain is a triumph of truth and justice that is essential to nourish the memories people carry with them throughout the rest of their lives."
18 February 2020
For Rohingya refugees, ID systems have brought coercion, violence and denial of ethnic identity
"They told us they would withhold rations and that we couldn’t stay in the camps. So we had no choice."
17 February 2020
Pakistan's draconian rules on social media take activists by surprise
The new rules require social media companies to hand over user information and remove content deemed unlawful when requested by the authorities.
#MarginalizedAadhaar: Is India's Aadhaar enabling more exclusion in social welfare for marginalized communities?
India's biometric-based digital ID Aadhaar seems to bring more exclusion to marginalized communities rather than solving it.
14 February 2020
New report makes grim predictions for ‘Fortress RuNet’
The most recent annual report by Russian NGOs Agora and Roskomsvoboda draws some troubling conclusions about what lies in store for the RuNet in years to come.
13 February 2020
Broadcasters from Nigeria join global celebration of World Radio Day 2020
Nigerian broadcasters joined radio practitioners around the world to honor the powerful role that radio plays in global development on World Radio Day, February 13, 2020.
10 February 2020
What do we know about the ‘Great Firewall of India’?
After a six-month-long internet shutdown, access to only 301 white-listed websites has been granted in Jammu and Kashmir, whereas social media, VPNs and many other sites remain banned.
6 February 2020
Nigeria's digital ID scheme may benefit those ‘with access'— but what about everyone else?
"Without an adequate data privacy or protection law, how can we safeguard against some of the greatest risks that such a system could incur?"
30 January 2020
How Zimbabwe's biometric ID scheme — and China’s AI aspirations — threw a wrench in elections
Some citizens were told that if they didn't register and submit their biometrics, they might be barred from voting.
23 January 2020
Malawi opens the first drone academy in Africa
The African Drone and Data Academy officially opened this month in Malawi — the first of its kind in Africa.
20 January 2020
Baul singer Shariat Sarkar arrested in Bangladesh for ‘insulting’ Islam
Baul singer Shariat Sarkar is accused of making comments which hurt the “religious sentiment” of Muslims. He says that there is no evidence forbidding music in Islam.
18 January 2020
CGNet Swara is using Bluetooth to source content and share news with Indian villages
CGNet Swara is helping groups that have been largely ignored by mainstream media use Bluetooth to create content and share CGNet-produced news, music and other programmes with their communities.
