TechCabal Daily - The fight to regulate social media enters a new front

The government of Lesotho is proposing a bill that will force social media users to obtain broadcast “allowances” before they post on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

What are the details of the bill?

According to the Lesotho Communications authority
(LCA), an internet broadcaster is anyone whose online posts reaches at least 100 people.

If your post reaches 100 people at once or you need a series of posts to reach 100 users, congratulations, you’re a broadcaster too.

The draft Rules will require persons who conduct internet broadcasting as defined in the draft rules, to register with the LCA.

What’s in the fine print…

It’s an attempt to regulate what people post on social media and this move
has a big impact on free speech.

If the bill becomes law, the LCA wll be able to investigate people for what they put on the internet and be able to take down such content.

Where have we seen this before?

Tanzania- where in 2018, the government passed a law that forced bloggers, social media influencers and online platforms to apply for a licence and pay a fee of $930 if they wanted to keep their sites up.

Uganda- where you need authorization as well as an annual fee of $27 in order to do a Facebook or Twitter live video. This is in addition to a daily tax on social media
which people already pay in Uganda

Every week, TechCabal’s flagship column; “My Life In Tech” puts human faces to some of the innovative startups, investments and policy formations driving the technology sector across Africa.

Who did Kay speak to this week?

Eloho Gihan-Mbelu, the Founding Managing Director and CEO of Endeavor Nigeria.

With a 20-year career in investment
banking and growth private equity, her work rests on the belief that scaleup companies hold immense value for the communities and the economies that they serve.

One quote that says, you should totally read this…

“It’s not enough to have started a company. It’s not enough to have raised a seed round. I’m always watching for; does a seed round become Series A?

Does Series A become Series B? Does seven employers become 15, become 20, become 150? Is the product getting better?

What are customers saying about the product and are you [entrepreneur] actually creating a better version of the future through the company?”

Read this week’s My Life In Tech here.

The West African energy startup, EasySolar has raised a US$5 million Series A debt and equity funding round.

EasySolar was founded in 2016 and allows people to buy a range of solar power solutions with flexible payment plans.

For instance, its website lists a product called “d.Light bomba 32,” a “solar powerhouse” that can power 12V appliances like the 32″ TV or fan, USB-powered accessories, mobile phones and bright lights for hours after just a single day of charge. The product costs $790.

What market does Easysolar serve?

Liberia and Sierra Leone. The company claims to have provided reliable electricity to 450,000 people in these countries

So what will
this $5 million funding do for the company?

The company plans to add more products for its customers. It also wants to widen its reach in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

+ Solar power, huh? Here’s that time we tried it at the Big Cabal office.