Mozfest 2018: Report on Digital Rights in sub Saharan Africa - Internet Sans Frontières
Subsidiaries of Orange in Senegal and Vodafone in Kenya do not respect their users’ freedom of expression and online privacy and lack transparency in their activities.
This is the result of a study conducted by Internet Without Borders, in partnership with the Project team of Ranking Digital Rights, and the organization Access Now, on the terms of use and the privacy policy of Sonatel (Orange Senegal) and Safaricom (Kenyan subsidiary of Vodafone). Our observations contrast with the practices of these multinationals in the two countries where their head offices are located: Orange in France, and Vodafone in the United Kingdom.
Our report analyses the accessibility, the clarity and the precision of the clauses contained in the terms of use and the privacy policy of each company: despite clear commitments, as company groups, to protect privacy and freedom of expression in the digital sphere, Vodafone and Orange can do better when it comes to protecting the freedom of expression and the privacy of their users in Senegal and Kenya.
Weak legislative environments on the African continent, regulators with limited means of action, civil society with little education on the issue of digital rights, all these elements help to understand the weak performance of these two companies.
« The responsibility of the private sector for the poor state of digital rights in Africa and elsewhere has been highlighted on several occasions, including by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression during the 54th session of the Human Rights Council, » said Julie Owono, Executive Director of Internet Without Borders. « We hope that our study will help the operators concerned to act where necessary to better protect the rights of their users ».
The study conducted by Internet Without Borders is inspired by the Corporate Accountability Index, which annually ranks Internet companies and telecommunications operators on how they respect free expression and privacy of their users. In 2017, Vodafone and Orange respectively came in first and fourth for their practices on the British and French market.