Rights Group Launches Tool to Stem Cybercrime in Africa

Victims of cyberbullying and related crimes can now get redress thanks to a new online platform that seeks to empower internet users across Africa to report digital rights violations. The platform called Ripoti, a Swahili word meaning report, was launched last month (30 April) at the 2021 Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum. It links victims to expert support and enables them to document and track evidence of violations.

"Digital rights violations have been on a worrying upward trend in Africa," says Bulanda Nkhowani, Southern Africa programme officer for Paradigm Initiative, which created the platform. "We may not be able to provide a percentage increase in changes that we observed but it's quite a spike that we could no longer cope with volumes. Every average citizen is a potential victim but activists, human rights defenders and journalists are more likely to be victims."

The violations vary from internet shutdowns, cyberbullying, and surveillance to illegal access to user information. Bulanda cites instances in countries such as Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania where authorities have repeatedly shut down the internet, infringing on people's digital rights. "For many governments, these violations are committed in their pursuit for unconstitutional and undemocratic political power," she tells SciDev.Net.