In an unexpected move, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) wrote to Google Inc on 9th December 2020, urging the search giant to block all Ugandan YouTube channels that are reportedly spread negative sentiments during elections. All of the YouTube channels that UCC wants to be blocked belong to opposition pundits.
In the letter to Google, UCC claimed that these channels contain extremist or anarchic messages including messages likely to incite violence against sections of the public on account of their tribe and political opinions. The govt believes that these channels may compromise national security and cause economic sabotage.
ALSO READ: How Google will evaluate UCC’s request to block opposition owned Ugandan YouTube channels
The government through UCC has no control and cannot censor the content posted by YouTubers in Uganda and thus cannot regulate it or even block it. However, it wants the following 14 channels blocked from YouTube;
- Ghetto TV
- Map Mediya
- Busesa Media Updates
- Uganda Empya
- KK TV Uganda
- Ekyooto TV
- Bobi Wine 2021
- Namungo Media
- JB Muwonge
- TMO Online
- Lumbuye Fred
- Trending Channel Ug
- Uganda Yaffe
- Uganda News Update
The accounts UCC is targeting are only guilty of giving live coverage to opposition persons on the campaign trails, something which regulated TV stations like NBS or NTV cannot do. The govt through UCC claims that these channels were used to mobilize the recent November riots that resulted in the loss of lives and property in Uganda. UCC recently requested all bloggers who broadcast on any social media channel to register with it, but this never made sense to most bloggers since UCC doesn’t control or have any powers to regulate the likes of Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.
UCC also urged the search giant to stop aiding and abetting any further breach of regulatory and penal laws of Uganda through its communication platform. It also requested YouTube to revise YouTube operations to ensure that it is not used to circumvent the legal and regulatory requirements of the Ugandan republic.
ALSO READ: Uganda’s top 25 YouTube channels and their estimated earnings- 2020
In its letter to Google the commission also requested Google to ensure that all content broadcast to Uganda through YouTube applications and services strictly comply with Ugandan’s Minimum Broadcasting standards as enshrined in Uganda’s act.
Google’s YouTube policies on hate speech
Hate speech is not allowed on YouTube. The company removes content promoting violence or hatred against individuals or groups based on any of the following attributes:
- Age
- Caste
- Disability
- Ethnicity
- Gender Identity and Expression
- Nationality
- Race
- Immigration Status
- Religion
- Sex/Gender
- Sexual Orientation
- Victims of a major violent event and their kin
- Veteran Status
YouTube encourages anyone who finds any content on their platform that violates this policy, to quickly report it. Any content that encourages violence against individuals or groups based on any of the attributes noted above should be reported.
UCC will have to wait for YouTube to evaluate their complaint and respond to them appropriately at a future date. It must be proven that the content fits in that category. Their decision will not be based on government feelings rather on facts. Some pundits believe that the content isn’t really the problem but rather the controllers of the channels.
This is not the first time UCC is approaching a tech giant to block Ugandan based channels, in the past, they tried to reach Facebook to remove Facebook accounts accounts based on similar claims but Facebook rejected the request.
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