Examining approaches to internet regulation in Ethiopia

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article examines the current internet content regulatory regime in Ethiopia from the perspectives of the extensively discussed and broadly accepted regulatory models namely statutory regulation, self-regulation, and co-regulation. It argues that although statutory regulation has been a potentially useful tool of regulation in Ethiopia, self-regulation and co-regulation models appear to be neither practised nor feasible in the Ethiopian context. A closer look at the regulatory patterns in the last decade – and emerging initiatives – suggest that a hybrid of five regulatory models namely statutory regulation, informal regulation, gatekeeping, self-censorship, and regulation through ‘Social Media Army’ are currently common in Ethiopia. This article then weighs sustainability and propriety of these approaches pursued by the Ethiopian government in regulating internet content.