New law in Uganda imposes restrictions on Internet use

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has signed into law legislation criminalising some Internet activity despite concerns the law could be used to silence legitimate criticism.

The bill, passed by the legislature in September, was brought by a lawmaker who said it was necessary to punish those who hide behind computers to hurt others.

That lawmaker argued in his bill that the “enjoyment of the right to privacy is being affected by the abuse of online and social media platforms through the sharing of unsolicited, false, malicious, hateful and unwarranted information.”

The new legislation increases restrictions in a controversial 2011 law on the misuse of a computer. Museveni signed the bill on Thursday, according to a presidential spokesman's statement.

The legislation proposes jail terms of up to 10 years in some cases, including for offences related to the transmission of information about a person without their consent as well as the sharing or intercepting of information without authorisation.

Opponents of the law say it will stifle freedom of expression in a country where many of Museveni's opponents, for years unable to stage street protests, often raise their concerns on Twitter and other online sites.

Others say it will kill investigative journalism.

The law is “a blow to online civil liberties in Uganda,” according to an analysis by a watchdog group known as Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa, or CIPESA.

The Committee to Protect Journalists is among groups that urged Museveni to veto the bill, noting its potential to undermine press freedom.

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