On Tuesday, Uganda punched back at Facebook and Twitter by banning them from the internet after the two companies started censoring Uganda officials ahead of the election in the country.
“We demand that @Facebook & @Twitter write directly to the individuals that lost their accounts. Since @Facebook cited @MoICT_Ug in their statement, let them write to us so that there’s a chance for a fair hearing. Accounts lost on Facebook belong to @GovUganda employees,” tweeted Uganda Media Centre.
Check out what Reuters reported:
In a letter seen by Reuters to internet service providers dated Jan. 12, Uganda’s communications regulator ordered them to block all social media platforms and messaging apps until further notice.
Internet monitor NetBlocks said its data showed that Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, Skype, Snapchat, Viber and Google Play Store were among a lengthy list of sites unavailable via Uganda’s main cell network operators.
Campaigning ahead of the vote has been marred by brutal crackdowns on opposition rallies, which the authorities say break COVID-19 curbs on large gatherings. Rights groups say the restrictions are a pretext for muzzling the opposition.
Facebook and Twitter have conducted disgusting attacks on free speech in recent weeks against conservatives including President Donald Trump.
In response to Uganda’s decision to ban Twitter from their internet, Twitter Public Policy had the audacity to whine about the decision.
“Ahead of the Ugandan election, we’re hearing reports that Internet service providers are being ordered to block social media and messaging apps,” Twitter Pubic Policy tweeted. “We strongly condemn internet shutdowns – they are hugely harmful, violate basic human rights and the principles of the #OpenInternet.”
“Earlier this week, in close coordination with our peers, we suspended a number of accounts targeting the election in Uganda,” they admitted in the following tweet, clearly not recognizing the blatant hypocrisy in their comments. “If we can attribute any of this activity to state-backed actors, we will disclose to our archive of information operations.”
“Access to information and freedom of expression, including the public conversation on Twitter, is never more important than during democratic processes, particularly elections,” they added.
The move by Uganda was very similar to what happened in Idaho. An internet service provider in Idaho, Spokane and other parts of Washington has blocked Facebook and Twitter from its customers after the two platforms conducted a disgusting attack on free speech last week against President Donald Trump and his supporters.
The move will start on Wednesday according to a report by KREM 2 and will bar Facebook and Twitter from reaching their users on WIFI in these regions.
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“It has come to our attention that Twitter and Facebook are engaged in censorship of our customers and information,” said an email to the WIFI customers.
“We have the past couple days been fielding calls from customers voicing the concern that they do not want these sites allowed to be displayed on their internet feed to them and that they do not want their children to go to these sites,” the email adds.
Check out what Breitbart reported:
The ISP explained that because there are too many customers asking for the sites to be blocked, it will be blocking Facebook and Twitter for all customers unless they reach out to the company to request access.
“There are too many people that have called for us to do one [customer] at a time so we will be blocking [Facebook and Twitter] and any other website that may also be censoring,” the email reads.
The company says that two-thirds of its customers asked for the sites to be blocked.
The ISP further explained that it does not condone Facebook and Twitter — as well as other big tech companies — censoring users or “trying to exterminate the competition,” such as Parler.
“Our company does not believe a website or social networking site has the authority to censor what you see and post and hide information from you,” the email reads. “We have made this decision to block these two websites from being accessed from our network.”
“We also don’t condone what Google, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook and Apple are doing either to Parler by trying to strong arm them into submission,” the email adds.
In an updated email sent to customers on Monday, the ISP insisted that it would not block the websites for customers who did not want them blocked.
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