Social media regulation in Uganda: the dilemma of laxity and conformity to international norms

Abstract

ABSTRACT The proliferation of social media use has resulted in the quest for standards and norms relating to internet governance. Uganda has gradually instituted laws, occasionally shut down the internet and levied taxes to regulate social media use. Initially, the norms and standards resulted from negative consequences of social media use, such as hate speech, incitement, and misinformation. However, the regime has used this pretext to curtail collective voices, dissent, and freedom of expression that social media use brings into the political arena. The dilemma in the international system is that social media regulation has taken a new twist as different countries adopt what they feel is appropriate. Drawing from the primary and secondary data sources, it can be concluded that the Ugandan regime has used social media regulation to keep political dissent, incitement, and protests in check, and states such as Uganda get support from big actors that are proponents of legal frameworks and internet sovereignty.