January 21, 2021 Written by OUR REPORTER
The tables have turned. For years, government has controlled and censored social media. But as more people join, added with emerging technology to bypass restrictions, the balance of power seems to be shifting to the hands of social media giants.
Going by the recent events in which Facebook and Twitter blocked several NRM-leaning bloggers and pages for breaching ethical rules, the future of social media and its influence in Uganda has never been more conspicuous.
In mid-December, 2020, Canary Mugume, an investigative reporter with NBS, ran a poll on his Twitter handle with the simple question: So who’s your generational leader?
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IN THE RUN-UP to Uganda s general election on January 14th, social-media platforms are struggling to combat propaganda and fake news. This week Facebook announced that it had taken down a network of government-linked accounts that it alleges engaged in “coordinated inauthentic behaviour” aimed at boosting support for Yoweri Museveni, the country’s president, at the expense of his opponents. The social-media giant says the Government Citizens Interaction Centre, part of the Ministry of Information, used “fake and duplicate accounts” to manipulate public opinion. “Given the impending election in Uganda, we moved quickly to investigate and take down this network,” Facebook said in a statement.
Uganda Blocks Facebook Ahead of Contentious Election
President Yoweri Museveni accused the company of “arrogance” after it removed fake accounts and pages linked to his re-election campaign.
President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has 10 rivals in the election scheduled for Thursday, including the rapper-turned-lawmaker Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi.Credit.Baz Ratner/Reuters
Jan. 13, 2021
NAIROBI, Kenya President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has blocked Facebook from operating in his country, just days after the social media company removed fake accounts linked to his government ahead of a hotly contested general election set to take place on Thursday.
In a televised address late on Tuesday night, Mr. Museveni accused Facebook of “arrogance” and said he had instructed his government to close the platform, along with other social media outlets, although Facebook was the only one he named.
If he wins Uganda election, Museveni will work with his seventh US president Here s how the US has helped him stay in power kesq.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kesq.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.