What We Focus On

Our Core Areas of Work

Digital rights aren't abstract concepts to debate in conference rooms. They are about whether everyday people can speak without fear, organize online safely, and use digital tools without having their personal records handed over in secret. We focus our time and resources on three key areas.

Pillar 01

Platform Accountability & Algorithmic Justice

Big tech companies take advantage of weak local oversight across Africa to roll out terms they would never get away with elsewhere.

When you sign up for major social media apps, you're usually handed a 40-page contract written in dense legal jargon that no normal person has the time to read. Hidden inside are clauses that let these companies monitor your private chats, hand over your location data without warning, or delete your account with no right of appeal.

We run audits on these platforms to show users exactly what they are agreeing to in plain, clear language. We also challenge unfair contract terms and demand that platforms treat African users with the same dignity, privacy, and protection they offer users in Europe and North America.

What we do here:
  • The Fair Terms Project: We review terms of service and explain dangerous clauses in plain everyday words.
  • Privacy Audits: We look into how platforms disclose personal user data to government agencies.
  • Content Rights: We support creators and public figures whose accounts or works are unfairly suppressed or taken down.
Pillar 02

Internet Freedom & Digital Resilience

Complete internet blackouts bring bad press, so governments now quietly slow down messaging apps when elections get close.

Throttling is the new shutdown. Instead of pulling the plug on the entire country's network, authorities order telecom providers to deliberately slow down WhatsApp, Telegram, or Twitter. Photos don't load, livestreaming fails, and community election observers can't report ballot issues in real time.

We gather hard technical proof whenever network speeds are artificially restricted. This gives civil society groups, journalists, and legal teams the verifiable data they need to hold telecom regulators accountable in court.

What we do here:
  • Network Monitoring: Tracking and logging unannounced bandwidth drops during elections and peaceful protests.
  • Evidence for Courts: Providing documented connection logs to lawyers challenging arbitrary shutdown orders.
  • Staying Connected: Sharing simple tools and offline methods so journalists and rights defenders can keep communicating.
Pillar 03

Digital Rights Literacy & Civic Tech

Legal rights don't mean much on paper if everyday community defenders don't know how to secure their devices.

Digital rights training often fails because it's too academic or focuses on tools made for fast broadband in Western cities. Frontline youth activists, student journalists, and legal advocates in Africa need direct, practical knowledge: how to spot digital surveillance, how to handle digital evidence properly in local courts, and how to stay safe on low data budgets.

We run workshops that train defenders directly, build practical guides on local privacy laws, and back open-source civic tech projects designed to work reliably in our local environment.

What we do here:
  • Hands-on Digital Defense Clinics: Real-world sessions teaching civic actors how to protect their phones and accounts.
  • Fellowships & Mentorship: Supporting young African tech and legal practitioners doing grassroots work.
  • Local Civic Tools: Supporting lightweight tools built specifically for patchy internet conditions.