With the massive paradigm shift to digital platforms, the rise in internet usage, the growth of social media, and the shift of opportunities to digital platforms have increased the number of people who access digital platforms. As we increasingly conduct our lives online, i.e. working, socializing, and sharing information, our digital rights, particularly the rights to access the internet and the right to stay online, are becoming more critical due to the increase in expenses of data bundles.
Mtando ni Data campaign campaign began on September 20, 2022, with a key objective is to persuade the respective authorities and challenge them to make the cost of data bundle packages more reasonable for the financial capability of the users. The improvement will benefit not only the end users’ consumers but the entire country. It will help to accelerate the process of minimising the impact of Tanzania's unemployment rate. People employing themselves and selling their skills through digital platforms will not only expose young people to how quickly the world is shifting, but it will also place a country on a good map to urge investors in digital initiatives and programs to consider investing in our country.
The campaign was conducted across digital platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok and Facebook. A total number of 9 influencers were used to raise awareness about the campaign with the hashtag #MtandaoNiData meaning Digital platforms cannot operate if data bundle packages are high.
Campaign Objectives
The campaign's primary objectives were:
- Have the respective authorities hear and be challenged to rectify the current data costs.
- Form a unified voice with Tanzanians on digital platforms about the digital rights threatened by high data costs.
- Have all stakeholders understand what and how digital rights are revoked when data costs are high.
Campaign Activities
The campaign included a variety of activities but was mostly divided into two sub-activities:
- Sub-activity Media campaign. - he launchpad offered digital rights training to journalists, content creators, and human rights defenders. Following the campaign's launch, a few trainees agreed as part of the advocacy campaign to publish articles in Tanzania Daima News on September 25th, 2022, and Tanzania Leo News on September 26th, 2022. The articles emphasized the rise of data bundle bundles and end customers' concerns about their directly affected.
- Sub-activity 2 Social Media campaigns - Between 19th and 26th September 2022 Social media Campaign was done across the social media platforms, Tiktok, Instagram, and Twitter.
Success
- The Honourable Minister of Information, Communication and technology responded to one of the tweets by the project lead and acknowledged the campaign message.
- Metrics on engagement show over 1,500 active interactions with the Hashtags used (#MtandaoNiData and #DigitalRightsTZ) across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook platforms.
- it was through the campaign that the connection between data affordability and Digital rights was made. It is often mentioned alongside the rights to information, the right to expression and the right to the internet.
Lessons from the campaign
Through the Mtandao Ni Data campaign, we learned that;
- Policy Makers are unaware of the effects of the data bundle rise.
- General public was not aware of how data affordability could infringe on their digital rights.
- We learned there were general considerations on the investment cost incurred by the Mobile Networks Operators and did not consider how it would affect an average income earning citizen or the youths who benefit from affordable data costs the most.
- We learned that with the unemployment rate, youth use digital platforms to search for wider opportunities like online jobs, online free courses, and meaningful connections.
Campaign Challenges
- One of the limitations is the time to run the campaign- 7 days was clearly not enough to monitor the spillover conversation that the campaign might have created.
- Another limitation is the inaccessibility of the information on laws and policies that govern telecoms in regulating data prices.
- Inadequate time to gather all needed information to propose the best solution to this problem, considering the Mobile Network Operators are citing costs as an influencing factor.
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