If I were to have a coffee with you, I would tell you that Africa has its definition of blogging. Whereas strictly a blogger would be someone who publishes content on their website(blog), Africa has another definition that is close to Vlogging but Blogging is the easier description of anyone that has a YouTube channel and a substantial number of subscribers/followers is a blogger, funny right? It’s why I am going to stick with the flawed description of bloggers here to make a point.
Uganda is a COWntry ( emphasis mine) this special nation has made laws to regulate civic space and it’s Shrinking Big time. The Computer Misuse Act is one of the restrictive legislations that is such and this has been challenged in the constitutional court by the Uganda Law Society and several Civil Society Organisations. Actually the major target of the Computer Misuse Act is to target social media bloggers. It’s weird how I am actually losing my self in giving importance to the modern day blogger so let’s breakdown the Act and it’s implications for the bloggers who don’t have a blog.
- Regulation of Online Content – The Act criminalizes offensive communication, cyber harassment, and unauthorized access to information systems. Bloggers must be cautious about the content they publish to avoid legal repercussions
- Restrictions on Unauthorized Information Sharing – The law prohibits the unauthorized disclosure of information, meaning bloggers must ensure they do not share private or sensitive data without consent
- Cyber Harassment and Offensive Communication – The Act includes provisions against cyber harassment and offensive communication, which could impact bloggers who engage in political or social commentary
- Potential Censorship and Legal Risks – The Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act, 2022 introduced stricter penalties for misuse of digital platforms, raising concerns about freedom of expression and potential censorship
The Act has significant implications for blogging, particularly regarding online speech, privacy, and digital security. Here are some key ways it affects bloggers:
So in Effect this legislation is very restrictive in our COWntry and everyone is a victim.
Let’s look at the bloggers who have blogs, the Copyright and Neighboring rights Act does protect them when it comes to copyright. Does Blogging with a blog have a good future, I don’t think so, people would rather pay attention to bloggers without a blog because Audio Visual content is better,a person would rather watch a tick tock video rather than putting energy in reading a blog. So the bloggers without a blog definitely have a great future, unfortunately I can’t say the same thing for bloggers with a blog . We that have blogs are absolutely finished.
Mwene 