STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 2022 Angola President Joaõ Lourenço These platforms have provided a space for citizens to express their opinions and share information freely. SURVEILLANCE AND PRIVACY OF ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS The details required for Angola’s compulsory SIM card registration process – citizens are required to provide an identity card or driver’s licence and tax card. mobile devices, with cities being more favoured by internet providers compared to rural areas, due to viable consumer populations and better infrastructure such as roads and electricity. Angola has five internet service providers and three Pay TV providers, and speed and quality are reasonable in Luanda and the main cities. However, the country’s poor and failing internet infrastructure outside the main city centres, continues to hinder users’ ability to access the internet consistently and without disruption. The government, through its promoted project Angola Online22 and the private sector have made a concerted effort to establish free wireless hotspots as internet access remains prohibitively expensive for many people, especially in rural areas.(5) Moreover, connectivity charges are still high in relation to the minimum and average national wage. Increasing accessibility is crucial as the use of social media and other online platforms to disseminate information and bypass government censorship has been steadily increasing. Visitors have to produce a passport with a valid visa, this is both prohibitive and limiting. Such preconditions may not be easy for those without official documents (migrants), which may mean exclusion from the process. SIM cards must be registered directly with INACOM, the ICT regulator that operates under government oversight. While Angola has not been flagged for snooping on its citizens, it is one of the states reported to have bought the infamous Pegasus software in 2020, which stems from the good relations Angola’s ruling party has with Israel. Angola’s restrictive laws, which make it criminal to insult the president or spreading “fake news” also apply online. Outside general technical disruptions, Angola has not recorded politically motivated internet shutdowns. As Nigerian based Paradigm Initiative reports, Angola is a country that has a relatively fair digital rights record and the Law on Electronic Communications and Information Company Services, adopted in 2011, provides for citizens’ rights to privacy and security online.(6) References ANGOLA: RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT HINDERS MEDIA FREEDOM (1) Britannica, Country: Angola https://www.britannica.com/place/Angola, accessed on 4 February 2023 (2) In an election year, press freedom declines in Angola https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/11/10/human-rights-agenda-angola (3) Angolan opposition journalist’s wife assaulted in apparent retaliation for his reporting https://cpj.org/2022/10/angolan-opposition-journalists-wife-assaulted-in-apparent-retaliation-for-his-reporting/ (4) Angola: New Media Law Threatens Free Speech https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/11/30/angola-new-media-law-threatens-free-speech (5) INACOM, Angola Online importante na massificação e inclusão digital https://www.inacom.gov.ao/ao/noticias/angola-online-importante-na-massificacao-e-inclu- sao-digital/ (6) Advancing Internet Rights In Angola https://paradigmhq.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Digital-Rights-In-Angola-English.pd 32