Facebook closes 50 accounts belonging to Museveni’s supporters
What you need to know:
- Supporters of Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni have complained to Facebook over the closure of their accounts on the social network platform.
Kampala. Facebook has shut a slew of accounts belonging to Ugandan government officials accused of seeking to manipulate public debate ahead of elections Thursday, the internet giant told AFP on Monday.
"This month, we removed a network of accounts and pages in Uganda that engaged in CIB (Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour) to target public debate ahead of the election," Facebook's head of communication for sub-Saharan Africa, Kezia Anim-Addo, said in an email.
Supporters of Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni have complained to Facebook over the closure of their accounts on the social network platform reports, the BBC.
According to the broadcaster, owners of 50 Facebook accounts who support Uganda's ruling National Resistance Movement [NRM] have claimed their accounts were closed while their messages were completely deleted or failed to be published through the social network.
"It is a shame for foreign authorities who believe they can impose the leadership they can use by blocking the operation of NRM supporters' online accounts. You will not remove President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni from power," said presidential information officer Don Wanyama.
“Prominent Ugandan entrepreneur Ashburg Kato claimed that a California-based technology company had deleted their accounts following a request by Ugandan opposition application by National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Robert Kygulanyi aka Bobi Wine and his "partners". Facebook itself deleted our accounts at the request of Bobi Wine’s partners '' Kato tweeted.
He called on the president to take action against Facebook.
