,,iv #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #gfh ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #ag1 #bjai,ms4 ,bass 7for herself and ,mr4 ,smith of ,new ,jersey7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,calling on ,african governments to protect and promote human rights through internet freedom and digital integration for all citizens across the continent of ,africa4 ,whereas access to information and freedom of expression are pillars of an open1 free1 and democratic society2 ,whereas open and secure access to the internet enables the exercise of human rights and freedom of expression1 allowing people to connect1 access information1 and participate in a global society2 ,whereas according to ,access ,now1 there were #ba instances of partial or total internet shutdowns in ,africa in #bjah1 compared with only #d in #bjaf2 ,whereas governments1 including those of ,chad1 ,cameroon1 ,ethiopia1 ,uganda1 ,sudan1 and ,zimbabwe1 have restricted access to the internet and disrupted networks1 online applications1 and services to censor and interfere with the flow of information during politically sensitive moments1 including elections1 political protests1 and mass demonstrations1 when unfettered journalism1 public oversight1 and political participation are crucial to bolster democratic processes and the rule of law2 ,whereas governments often attempt to justify partial or total internet shutdowns for purposes of security or to stop the spread of false information2 ,whereas the frequency of internet shutdowns has increased across ,africa1 levying broad economic costs and directly violating citizens rights to freedom of expression and access to information2 ,whereas ,african whistleblowers1 journalists1 bloggers1 and other media workers often lack legal protection and suffer harassment and detention at the hands of government authorities1 often facilitated by invasive and unauthorized surveillance1 with the encouragement1 technical expertise1 and financial support of foreign entities and governments2 ,whereas some ,african governments have introduced taxes to discourage citizens from sharing and accessing information in the digital space1 and have imposed laws and regulations that often target journalists1 bloggers1 activists1 and others1 banning speech and discouraging expression in the digital space2 ,whereas those operating independent news websites and blogs are obstructed through blocking and censorship1 burdensome licensing requirements1 and regulatory measures that effectively limit their audience and their livelihoods2 ,whereas many ,african governments lack robust data protection and privacy laws1 and the systems to implement such laws1 leaving the privacy of citizens exposed and susceptible to infringement2 ,whereas the ,communist government in ,china1 through the desire to build a digital ,silk ,road1 has increased cyber activity in ,africa through telecommunications contracts and fiber optic networks which can expose individuals to greater monitoring and surveillance1 and has exported technology and training to authoritarian officials that have made it easier to restrict internet access in many ,african countries2 ,whereas ,huawei ,technologies has reportedly sold products and services to ,african governments that have been used to support spying on political opponents2 and ,whereas ,russia has been testing new disinformation techniques and tactics through a series of online networks linked to ,yevgeny ,prigozhin1 a ,russian oligarch indicted by the ,united ,states for meddling in the ,united ,states ,presidential election in #bjaf1 in ,african countries that include ,sudan1 ,cameroon1 ,libya1 and ,mozambique3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 strongly condemns the restriction or disruption of the internet through methods including network shutdowns1 disruptions1 use of kill switches1 bandwidth throttling1 high taxes1 and the blocking of applications and services across ,africa1 and any efforts by foreign governments to facilitate such activity2 7#b7 urges ,african governments to-- 7,a7 promote inclusive and meaningful participation by all stakeholders in the development of policies on telecommunications1 internet governance1 information and communications technologies1 and infrastructure2 7,b7 prevent the use of broad and invasive surveillance technologies that violate privacy and discourage the freedom of expression of all users1 particularly journalists1 bloggers1 and their sources1 and to ensure accountability for crimes against them2 7,c7 actively pursue laws and policies that protect and promote human rights online and offline and review laws that criminalize free speech that are used to harass and prosecute those who offer dissenting views and information2 7,d7 resist new contracts with authoritarian states1 like ,china1 and avoid digital governance models that enable technoauthoritarianism and invasive surveillance capabilities that undermine human rights and restrict fundamental freedoms2 and 7,e7 work closely with technology companies and social media services to prevent or take down disinformation1 including disinformation disseminated by ,russia and other actors2 7#c7 urges telecommunications providers and internet platforms to employ legal1 operational1 and technical measures to promote and facilitate the exercise of human rights online1 and disclose requests from governments or other parties to hand over user data and to disrupt networks1 and their responses thereto2 7#d7 urges businesses operating in ,africa to facilitate open and secure access to the internet1 and work with stakeholders to prevent1 mitigate1 and remedy harms from internet shutdowns and other disruptions to the free flow of information online2 and 7#e7 urges businesses operating in ,africa to affirm the ,united ,nations ,guiding ,principles on ,business and ,human ,rights1 and adhere to best practices1 scrutinizing government or other third-party requests to interfere with networks1 applications1 services1 and personal data for any potential human rights impacts4