Many Ugandans are turning to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to bypass a new social media tax that came into force on Sunday.
The new law imposes a 200 shilling [$0.05, £0.04] daily levy on people using internet messaging platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and Viber.
President Yoweri Museveni had pushed for the changes, arguing that social media encouraged gossip. Critics say the law curtails freedom of expression.
A VPN gets around government censorship by redirecting your internet activity to a computer in a different country.
Now the head of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has said VPNs will be blocked, provoking plenty of responses online:
Lorenzo Baitwa@Bait_kid09I totally forgot about this social media tax In uganda and now I’m out here using a VPN just to use WhatsApp
#uganda
thierryadolf@thierryadolf1UCC to block VPN?????????
China, India, Ethiopia tried to block VPN and failed, so should I think that Uganda has more technology than China and India.
Can Uganda manage?
Dennis Nyambane™@ItsNyambaneThis is how the government of Uganda is looking for Ugandans who are online via VPN #SocialMediaTax
It’s not the first time the government has cracked down on social media users.
In 2016, social media platforms were blocked in Uganda on election day to stop people “telling lies”, President Museveni said.
