Tuesday, January 12, 2021

After Facebook blocked inauthentic government-linked accounts in Uganda, the Ugandan president shut down social media

BBC yesterday:

Facebook has shut down accounts it says are linked to the Ugandan government, only days before elections for a new president and parliament.

The social media giant said a network connected with the ministry of information had been using fake and duplicate accounts to impersonate users and boost the popularity of posts.

...

After 35 years in power, President Yoweri Museveni, 76, is being strongly challenged by music star Bobi Wine, who is 38 and draws much of his support from young people.

Bobi Wine has been detained periodically, and dozens of opposition protesters have been killed.

Al Jazeera today:

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said his government shut down social media two days before the country heads to the polls, accusing Facebook and unnamed outside groups of “arrogance” after the social media giant this week removed Ugandan accounts linked to his re-election campaign.

“That social channel you are talking about, if it is going to operate in Uganda, it should be used equitably by everybody who wants to use it”

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The list of banned social media sites include Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Signal and Viber.