This report examines how human rights defenders (HRDs) in African contexts including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Senegal, and Zimbabwe use digital security tools to protect themselves in high-risk political and digital environments. It uses existing literature, survey responses and interviews with HRDs and developers of digital security tools to highlight key challenges such as pervasive state surveillance, limited access to digital infrastructure, low digital literacy, and the technical complexity of existing digital security tools. However, both HRDs and tools developers expressed strong interest in collaboration, co-design, and digital security training to improve usability. The report recommends a comprehensive approach to digital security which includes co-design, continuous training support, and reform to ensure HRDs are capacitated and protected in their work.

This report documents the blocking of Telegram in Kenya during the 2023 and 2024 KCSE exams based on OONI network measurement data. This report supported a petition filed at the High Court of Kenya in May 2025, and OONI data is used as as evidence in support of this landmark public interest case.

Seven organizations have today filed a landmark public interest case challenging the unlawful disruption of internet access in Kenya. The organizations are: The International Commission of Jurists, Kenya Section (ICJ Kenya), The Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE), Paradigm Initiative (PIN), Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ), Katiba Institute, The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA). After the case was filed, High Court Justice Bahati Mwamuye issued orders stopping all […]