Reality Check: Taxing "Gossip" on the Internet

Claim : The decision of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to impose a tax on "gossip" on social networks has led to a decline in use.

Verdict : The tax has had a negative impact on access to social media networks and is deeply unpopular with Internet users in Uganda.

In early July, President Museveni enacted a controversial social media tax, calling it unwanted and potentially damaging gossip. Many Ugandans woke up to find blocked social media sites.

But as a result of angry protests and street protests, the government announced that it was reviewing the decision, leaving a hint of uncertainty about the immediate future.

Some activists believe President Museveni views social media as a potential threat. -year

Tax on Messaging Apps

Tax means Ugandans using social media pay 200 Ugandan shillings (5 cents US or 4p) per day to their service providers for access to sites restricted.

A list of 58 websites, apps and voice call platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and Skype, lies behind this wall of payment.

Email platforms are popular with Ugandans and are an important communication tool for local businesses and traders.

But President Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, says social media is a "luxury" and Finance Minister David Bahati says legislation has been implemented to raise money for services public.

The Ugandan government periodically blocked access to the entire internet, particularly in the run-up to the February 2016 elections.

Protests Against Taxes

The Ugandan Singer and Member of Parliament Independent Robert Kyagulanyi – better known on Twitter Bobi Wine – was one of the main protesters against the movement, under the banner #ThisTaxMustGo.

Ugandan journalist and activist Lydia Namubiru told the BBC: "Young people are very involved in online political discourse, and the political discourse is gaining ground and even translating into action on the street – and Bobi Wine is an example. "

Does the social media tax slow down gossip? Well, if "gossip" means people are communicating on social media, then yes, it seems to have reduced chatter.

One of the largest providers of mobile infrastructure, Liquid Telecom, reported a 75% drop in the use of Facebook and WhatsApp.

"It is reasonably representative of what happened on the market," according to Kyle Spencer of the Uganda Internet Exchange Point, a nonprofit group that works to improve Internet connectivity.

The BBC asked Twitter for data on the impact of the social media tax on the use, but the company declined to comment.

Some Ugandans tried to get around the tax by accessing social media platforms via wi-fi. places like cybercafés.

But providers of wi-fi hotspots still have to pay the tax or add it to their monthly bill in order to allow users to access social networks

Restrictions on Travel

All the world does not pay the tax. More sophisticated Ugandans use Virtual Private Network (VPN) applications, which allows them to bypass ISPs in their country.

"The use of VPN is hard to measure, but the data I've seen indicate a significant increase," says Kyle Spencer.

Network operators have been ordered by the Ugandan government to block VPN applications.

Many Ugandans use social media applications as the only way to access the Internet. People buy popular social media packages and the tax is now slapped on these packages.

One effect of the tax could be to fix the price of many Ugandans with low wages.

The country has one of the lowest per capita incomes. the world – $ 604 a year – and a daily rate of 5 cents (equivalent to $ 1.50 a month), a substantial sum for average citizens.

The new tax could raise the cost of internet access by 10% for Uganda's poorest citizens, says CIPESA, an organization that supports the use of Internet technology for development and poverty reduction. 40% of the average monthly income for the poorest, while for the rich Ugandans, it is obviously a much lower burden.

The Wider Picture

Uganda is not the only African country to apply some form of restriction of the Internet

The US Freedom House Group, which monitors global censorship, examined a group of African countries between 2016 and 2017.

Their data show that Ethiopia, Gambia and Zimbabwe have blocked social media applications, three others have closed the Internet to at the local or national level and five countries have passed laws that increase censorship.

They say that Ethiopia is the worst offender, blocking Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, shutting down the Internet during anti-government protests and adopting laws criminalizing a whole series of online activities .

Africa has the lowest Internet usage rate in the world (22%), but is experiencing the fastest growth of Internet users in the world – currently up 20% a year.