Change Makers What motivated you to become an advocate for Internet freedom in Africa, and how did you get started? My experience with Internet freedom and Africa was shaped by the revolutions of 2011 in Tunisia. I have always been interested in the Internet as this kind of liminal space in which we could exist in and be shielded from external harms - such as a dictatorship spying on every word you say.n my childhood, we used to say the that the “wall has ears”. So, I saw the Internet as something that could offer a space of security, beauty, wonder, and exploration because I had access to many things. I was interested in social media and the Internet as agents to support change or tools that could be used by agents of change. And that started my interest in Internet freedom. Back in2009, I took an interest in the use of social media during the Iranian Green Revolution, writing a paper about it while I was in college. When the 2011 uprisings happened in Tunisia (the country my parents hail from) I was very much engrossed and taken by everything that had happened. And that really solidified and concretized my idea of the Internet being this really critical tool for social movement. However, all that has changed, but that was my initial seed. That's what motivated me. And I think at the time, I really focused on what I would say are two sides of the same coin. I focused a lot on freedom of expression online and on anti-censorship online. I really centred a lot of my own concerns with those two elements of browsing the Internet and using the Internet. So that was my big motivation. A CIPESA Series What progress have you seen in the expansion of Internet freedom in Africa over the past ten years? I think there has been a lot of progress, but unfortunately, there has also been a lot of regression. Throughout most of my career in Internet digital rights. I did not have the privilege of focusing my efforts on countries in southern Africa. . Needless to say, our continent is very diverse in terms of the political systems and the geopolitical kind of subtleties and nuances associated with every country and region. The Maghreb region was really challenging. Some progress I've seen from that time to today in Tunisia is the fact that now, we can express ourselves online without fear – or at least without direct fear of being arrested, detained, or put in jail. I mentioned regress because I think in some countries, including Tunisia, those democratic gains are being rolled back. A lot of activists, advocates, and artists are putting themselves at risk every time they express themselves online. The window of opportunity for change was very brief.While it led to some gains, those gains are also being rolled back. I believe the most significant advancements in broadening Internet freedom lie primarily in two areas: the enhancement of online freedom of expression, and the effective utilisation of these tools by advocates who have become increasingly adept in their use. There is kind of this competition in terms of skills and understanding of how the Internet and different emerging technologies work. There's almost like this game of chess or, a tug of war between government actors and civil society advocates. This is because both civil society advocates and governments have learned how to use these technologies. Very smartly, very intelligently, and in critical ways that really help mobilise people. And now we're facing the consequences of launching troll armies and using false information to mislead. Ultimately, I think it is a point of progress, but we always have to keep up, and we always have to keep moving and learning more. 43