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Good morning ☀️
We interrupt your regularly scheduled newsletter to inform you that human beings did indeed write this edition of TC Daily, and this lede is in fact not AI-generated.
Now, let’s find out why the Nigerian government is holding onto its will to control social media tighter than it held onto COVID palliatives.
Yes, we can say that. We’re witty-ish, but don’t tell Muyiwa. 👍🏿
Legislation
Nigeria reintroduces bill to regulate social media
Nigeria is not letting go.
The Nigerian government has reintroduced a bill aimed at regulating digital platforms, including social media.
The bill, which seeks to repeal and reenact the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Act, was reintroduced in the National Assembly by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) last week, to regulate the use of social media in Nigeria.
It proposes a number of measures, including requiring social media users to register with the government and giving the government the power to censor social media content.
For and against: Although the bill has been met with mixed reactions from stakeholders, NBC has defended the bill, arguing that it is necessary to give the commission the authority to oversee and regulate digital platforms. The commission’s director-general, Balarabe Ilelah, referred to social media as a “monster” and emphasised the need for regulation.
In a counter move, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the National Assembly to reject the social media bill, stating that the bill would “unduly restrict the rights to freedom of expression and privacy.”
In addition, NBC says it is engaging Google and TikTok regarding the upcoming social media regulation bill, aiming to examine the legal and regulatory structures that apply to social media platforms in Nigeria.
Zoom out: The social media bill was initially presented to the National Assembly in 2019 under the name “Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulations Bill 2019,” but failed to pass into law after public outcry.
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Internet
Tanzania imposes ban on VPN usage
Tanzanians are at risk of serving jail time for using VPNs without a permit.
In a statement released on Friday Last week, the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) banned the use of VPNs without a permit in the country.
A permit? Yes. The TCRA clarified that using VPNs is not prohibited, but users must report the VPNs they use and provide necessary information. To comply, residents and citizens must fill out a form available on the TCRA website by October 30, 2023, providing their individual user IP addresses and specifying whether the VPN is for individual or company use.
This action is based on Regulation 16(2) of the Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations of 2020, which restricts Tanzanians from accessing content deemed illegal.
Legal consequences: Those caught without the necessary permit could face a fine of Tsh 5 million( $2,000) or a minimum of 12 months in prison. This situation raises concerns as it restricts the freedom that VPNs offer in the digital world while potentially infringing on real-world freedoms.
Zoom out: Tanzania has become the second East African country to implement regulations on VPN usage. Following the introduction of the social media tax, Uganda took measures to block VPN usage in 2018, as it was believed that Ugandans were using VPNs to evade taxes.
Telecoms
Airtel Uganda extends IPO closing date
Airtel Uganda has shifted the closing date for its initial public offering (IPO) from October 13 to October 27. The company will begin trading its shares from November 7 instead of the initial November 3.
Why? The telecommunications company did not give any reason for this postponement. However, people close to the situation told local media that the postponement was due to poor investor response.
ICYMI: Airtel is offering 20% of its total stock—8 billion shares—on the main investment market segment of the Uganda Securities Exchange at Shs100 ($0.0269) per share. Airtel opened its IPO for subscription on August 30, 2023, and was expected to close by October 13. The company expects to raise Shs800 billion ($215.2 million ), which would value the telecom at Shs4 trillion (nearly $1.1 billion).
Zoom out: Airtel’s delay in closing its IPO is not unprecedented in Uganda. MTN Uganda’s IPO also failed to attract enough investors. MTN was seeking to raise Shs900bn ($243.6 million), but was only able to raise 60%—($144.7 million)—of the total amount.
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Streaming
Openview admits to inflated subscriber count
eMedia has admitted that it does not have 3.2 million viewers potentially missing out on the Rugby World Cup as it stated in newspaper ads.
This comes after a South African high court, last week, ruled out eMedia’s case against Multichoice over a dispute about broadcasting rights for the Rugby World Cup.
According to data from South Africa’s Broadcast Research Council monthly television audience metric, the total number of viewers on Openview was around 2.6 million as of September 2023. The figure is about 600,000 less than the 3.2 million viewers which the broadcaster repeatedly claimed in court documents and newspaper ads. eMedia has said that numbers from the BRC do not adequately reflect its viewership, citing that the BRC’s numbers are not updated real-time but are updated annually.
ICYMI: Multichoice had struck a deal—valued around R57 million ($3 million)—with South Africa’s public broadcaster, SABC, to exclusively broadcast the Rugby World Cup matches live in the country. However, MultiChoice prohibited the SABC from airing the games on third-party platforms it doesn’t own, like Openview-owned eMedia.
Openview deemed this move by Multichoice to be “overtly anti-competitive” and published an open letter to express its displeasure at some Multichoice executives, before finally taking the broadcaster to court.
Zoom out: The debate on the viewer count of eMedia is non-consequential, as Multichoice already won the court case on the exclusive broadcasting right of the Rugby World Cup.
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Crypto Tracker
The World Wide Web3
Source:
|
Coin Name |
Current Value |
Day |
Month |
|---|---|---|---|
 Bitcoin |
$27,188 |
+ 1.06% |
+ 1.94% |
| Ether |
$1,562 |
+ 1.76% |
– 3.54% |
 Loom Network |
$0.38 |
+ 9.90% |
+ 726.78% |
| Big Time |
$0.24 |
+ 2.49% |
+ 252.34% |
* Data as of 06:30 AM WAT, October 16, 2023.
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Opportunities
- The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), through the Office for Nigeria Digital Innovation (ONDI), in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), are organising a one-week networking visit to Japan by selected Nigerian CleanTech Startups. Apply here.
- Applications are open for the Aurora Tech Award 2024. The Award is an annual global prize for women founders of tech startups. Winners of the first prize get $30,000, the second prize gets $20,000 and the third prize gets $10,000. Apply by December 1.
What else is happening in tech?
- Nigeria’s apex bank lifts self-imposed FX restrictions on forty-three items
- Paratus links Mozambique and South Africa with fibre
- South Africa’s big banks paid over R18 million ($949,000) in taxes
- Northflix is taking the Hausa film industry global
- What Kippa’s Jennedy Ekezie has learnt about building a fast-growing startup at 25
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