25 January, 2021
Uganda: Data on internet blocks and nationwide internet outage amid 2021 general election

Amidst its 2021 general election, Uganda was disconnected from the internet entirely. The country experienced a widespread internet blackout that lasted 4 days, starting on the eve of the election (13th January 2021) and ending in the morning of 18th January 2021. In the days leading up to the election, access to major social media platforms and circumvention tools was blocked — even when the OTT (Over the Top) tax (commonly referred to as the “Social Media Tax”) was paid. 

In this report, we share OONI network measurement data on the blocking of social media and circumvention platforms leading up to Uganda’s elections, as well as IODA data (and other public data sources) on the internet blackout that occurred amid and following the election. We also share findings from experiments run in Uganda (before and after the internet blackout) through the use of the `miniooni` research client.