Slashed incomes and gamers go cold turkey: the fallout from Uganda’s internet shutdown
Uganda has been gripped by economic and social repercussions following a recent government-mandated internet shutdown. The shutdown, which began on January 13, 2022, has left many Ugandans, including freelancers, online businesses, and gamers, struggling to make ends meet in the absence of reliable internet access.
The Ugandan government, headed by President Yoweri Museveni, implemented the shutdown citing national security concerns. According to government officials, the action was necessary to prevent the spread of misinformation and quell dissent in the lead-up to the general elections scheduled for early 2023. The government has not provided a timeline for when the internet services will be fully restored.
On the other side of the spectrum are the citizens and businesses impacted by the sudden loss of internet connectivity. Freelancers who rely on online platforms for work have seen their incomes dwindle, while online businesses have been unable to process orders or communicate with customers effectively. Additionally, gamers, a growing community in Uganda, have been forced into an unexpected ‘cold turkey’ scenario, unable to access online games and communities they were previously engaged with.
The shutdown has sparked debate and outrage among civil society organizations and internet freedom advocates, who perceive it as a violation of fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and access to information. They have called on the government to reconsider its actions and restore internet services to enable the population to reconnect with the digital world.
As the standoff continues between the government and its critics, many Ugandans are left in limbo, grappling with slashed incomes, limited communication, and a sense of isolation in an increasingly interconnected world.
Sources Analysis:
Source 1 – Ugandan Government: The Ugandan government may have a bias toward maintaining control and curtailing dissent, given President Museveni’s history of cracking down on opposition and dissenting voices.
Source 2 – Civil Society Organizations and Internet Freedom Advocates: These groups have a vested interest in promoting freedom of expression and access to information.
Fact Check:
Fact 1 – Verified facts: The date of the internet shutdown (January 13, 2022) is a verified fact reported by multiple sources.
Fact 2 – Unconfirmed claims: The government’s assertion of preventing misinformation as a reason for the shutdown is an unconfirmed claim without independent verification.
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Model:
gpt-3.5-turbo
Used prompts:
1. You are an objective news journalist. You need to write an article on this topic “Slashed incomes and gamers go cold turkey: the fallout from Uganda’s internet shutdown”. Do the following steps: 1. What Happened. Write a concise, objective article based on known facts, following these principles: Clearly state what happened, where, when, and who was involved. Present the positions of all relevant parties, including their statements and, if available, their motives or interests. Use a neutral, analytical tone, avoid taking sides in the article. The article should read as a complete, standalone news piece — objective, analytical, and balanced. Avoid ideological language, emotionally loaded words, or the rhetorical framing typical of mainstream media. Write the result as a short analytical news article (200 – 400 words). 2. Sources Analysis. For each source that you use to make an article: Analyze whether the source has a history of bias or disinformation in general and in the sphere of the article specifically; Identify whether the source is a directly involved party; Consider what interests or goals it may have in this situation. Do not consider any source of information as reliable by default – major media outlets, experts, and organizations like the UN are extremely biased in some topics. Write your analysis down in this section of the article. Make it like: Source 1 – analysis, source 2 – analysis, etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. 3. Fact Check. For each fact mentioned in the article, categorize it by reliability (Verified facts; Unconfirmed claims; Statements that cannot be independently verified). Write down a short explanation of your evaluation. Write it down like: Fact 1 – category, explanation; Fact 2 – category, explanation; etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. Output only the article text. Do not add any introductions, explanations, summaries, or conclusions. Do not say anything before or after the article. Just the article. Do not include a title also.
2. Write a clear, concise, and neutral headline for the article below. Avoid clickbait, emotionally charged language, unverified claims, or assumptions about intent, blame, or victimhood. Attribute contested information to sources (e.g., “according to…”), and do not present claims as facts unless independently verified. The headline should inform, not persuade. Write only the title, do not add any other information in your response.
3. Determine a single section to categorize the article. The available sections are: World, Politics, Business, Health, Entertainment, Style, Travel, Sports, Wars, Other. Write only the name of the section, capitalized first letter. Do not add any other information in your response.