SECTOR 1 the communications regulator, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), wrote to all the major phone companies and internet service providers asking them to filter Internet traffic related to this and other protests taking place in the Arab world. As a result, the speed of Internet access in the country became extremely slow, and Ugandans were at times (?) unable to make effective use of social media during the time of the walk to work protests. There are no laws permitting the UCC to act in this way. But the regulator was able to do so because of the authority it commands over the operators, which the UCC licenses. Thus the state is able to exploit the licensing regulations. The State has set up a system to filter all electronic communication in and out of the country, a panellist said. This had been done in terms of the Interception of Electronic Information Act. However, the law only allows for the interception of electronic communication in order to prevent terrorism. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 2.4 (2010: 2.9; 2007: n/a) 1.11 Civil society in general and media lobby groups actively advance the cause of media freedom. In recent years, as freedom of expression has come under increasing attack, a number of civil society initiatives have sought to promote the cause of media freedom. The Foundation for Human Rights Initiative and the Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda have recently published reports on the situation of media freedom in the country. A number of groups such as the Article 29 Coalition have been formed to advocate around freedom of expression issues. The NGO Forum has also focussed some attention on the role of the media. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER UGANDA 2012 25