Ugandan activists and Internet users are still reeling from the 24 hour blackout of Facebook this week, which Kampala hoped would curtail protest action against their government.
“It is still simply shocking that they would follow the same practices as Egypt and Libya, where the international community condemned this action to fight protesters,” said one Ugandan activist, adding, “but it looks like the world will largely remain silent over what happened.”
It is still unclear exactly how far the shut down went, said another activist, who said that he was still able to log onto Facebook during the supposed black out. “I had trouble at first, but I did manage to get onto the site, maybe it was my router or something, who knows.”
Still, telecom analysts say the government’s action will not affect the sector overall, adding that despite the anger among activists and protest organizers, the move was largely a “bandaid” in the battle for control.
“It was a power move by the government, one that seems to have failed and will probably not happen again,” said one government-paid analyst, who asked not to be named.
The blackout may have sparked outrage initially, but for now the country appears back on track, with both Facebook and Twitter functioning properly.
By Staff
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