Social-Media Users May Have to Get a Special License in Lesotho
- African country announces plans to regulate online behavior
- Media organizations say proposal designed to curb free speech
Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
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Lesotho’s government is seeking to regulate online behavior with a law compelling social-media users to obtain a so-called internet broadcasting allowance, as unease about digital platforms grows in some African countries.
Under the proposed bill, an internet broadcaster is anyone who posts any text, image or photograph that’s accessible to at least 100 users or anyone who has more than 100 followers in the southern African kingdom. The announcement was posted on the website of the Lesotho Communications Authority, which has asked citizens and “industry stakeholders” to comment on the proposal.