Digital rights
As people turn to digital environments as a way of expressing views they may not feel safe expressing through other channels, more and more governments are using legislation, including privacy and national security laws, to gain control over digital spaces and infrastructure.
In addition, rights such as the right to privacy online have not yet been entrenched in the minds and actions of many citizens and yet citizens across the continent are using various technological services (email, social networking, banking etc.) every day, without adequate safeguards.
Digital rights news from our chapters
Worrying increase in women journalists experiencing technology-driven abuse
The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and digital platforms that influence how information is produced and shared has seen an increase in the number of women journalists being subjected to technology-driven abuse. The abuse includes AI-generated deepfakes,...
Ensuring safety for women journalists in the Digital Age
The past few years have seen a significant rise in the use and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). For journalists, generative AI is a double-edged sword, as it is both an efficient enhancement technology and accentuates online abuse and technology-facilitated...
The Freedom of Expression Climate survey 2025- Now Available!
Southern Africa has in its history never faced such crossroads in the wake of the USA’s global funding cuts and dealing with high stakes that are borne of elections and rapid technological changes. The headwinds are further compounded by the debilitating effects of...
MISA Botswana, BDF collaborate on Media in Peace Support Operations
On August 20, 2025, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Botswana chapter partnered with the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) to deliver a guest lecture on: Media in Peace Support Operations at the BDF Staff College in Gaborone. The initiative, the second of its...
MISA launches fifth annual state of press freedom report
MISA Regional officially launched the fifth edition of the State of Press Freedom in Southern Africa report on 8 May 2025, a key evidence-based advocacy tool for improving the safety of journalists in the region. The 2025 report was launched at the belated...