Uganda considers Iranian tech for social media content filtering

The Ugandan government is exploring technology from Iran to regulate and filter content on social media platforms.

According to the Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, the goal is not to shut down social media, but to promote responsible content.

"Technology is largely good but it also has the down side of it. One of the areas of discomfort with technology is that it has enabled us to have these social media platforms that we use for communication and everybody is able to publish whatever he or she wants and the negative content is getting out, which is not palatable for our children," Mr. Baryomunsi stated during a meeting with an Iranian delegation in Kampala on Thursday.

The minister expressed concerns about the negative impact of unfiltered social media content, particularly on children. He highlighted issues like fake news, pornography, and abusive language.

"We have been looking at as a ministry is to see how to access technology that we can use to filter the content on social media and we know that in the Middle East among the Arab countries, these technologies exist," Mr Baryomunsi said.

Mr  Iran's deputy ICT minister, pledged his country's support for Uganda's ICT development. He welcomed the partnership and expressed his appreciation for Uganda's focus on this sector.

This is not Uganda's first attempt at social media regulation. In 2018, a short-lived social media tax was implemented, requiring users to pay a fee to access platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. However, the tax was easily circumvented using VPNs and ultimately scrapped.

In 2021, the government suspended Facebook access, citing the removal of accounts suspected to be linked to the ruling party. Facebook remains inaccessible without a VPN.