As you probably have heard, today is election day in Uganda. There have been many speculations about rigged elections, as many folks believe that the results of the last 3 elections were not true results.
So, this morning we woke up to go about our day and, of course, everyone wants to keep on top of what's going on in the election process. But, oddly enough, Facebook is completely unavailable. Floyd and I thought it was odd that we could access any website that we wanted on our phones and my laptop, but Facebook will not function. On the computer it just says "this page is unavailable" and on the phone, it just says, "no connection."
We have more than one modem for different companies and Facebook will not work on any of them. Of course, the idea did come to mind that somehow the government has blocked Facebook. After all, we know that many closed countries block any website that they want.
Now, as we watch the news, they are discussing the fact that people are complaining and upset that Facebook and some other social media programs are inaccessible. The response is that the network companies say that their system is down.
Is it a coincidence that you can make calls, send text messages, go to any website you want, you just can't get on Facebook, twitter, or whats-app? Now to be clear, it has been this way since we woke up today. It's not a short disruption or something that comes and goes. These systems are completely inaccessible. It definitely makes the accusations of rigging, intimidation, and other concerns more believable.
As you can see, I can even post on my blog. :) However, the "Share with Facebook" option won't load because Facebook is still "unavailable".
Update: After saying it was network problems for quite some time, the truth has finally been stated. The Uganda Communications Commission has admitted that they have blocked access to social media programs temporarily for "national security" concerns.
So, this morning we woke up to go about our day and, of course, everyone wants to keep on top of what's going on in the election process. But, oddly enough, Facebook is completely unavailable. Floyd and I thought it was odd that we could access any website that we wanted on our phones and my laptop, but Facebook will not function. On the computer it just says "this page is unavailable" and on the phone, it just says, "no connection."
We have more than one modem for different companies and Facebook will not work on any of them. Of course, the idea did come to mind that somehow the government has blocked Facebook. After all, we know that many closed countries block any website that they want.
Now, as we watch the news, they are discussing the fact that people are complaining and upset that Facebook and some other social media programs are inaccessible. The response is that the network companies say that their system is down.
Is it a coincidence that you can make calls, send text messages, go to any website you want, you just can't get on Facebook, twitter, or whats-app? Now to be clear, it has been this way since we woke up today. It's not a short disruption or something that comes and goes. These systems are completely inaccessible. It definitely makes the accusations of rigging, intimidation, and other concerns more believable.
As you can see, I can even post on my blog. :) However, the "Share with Facebook" option won't load because Facebook is still "unavailable".
Update: After saying it was network problems for quite some time, the truth has finally been stated. The Uganda Communications Commission has admitted that they have blocked access to social media programs temporarily for "national security" concerns.
I've been following the elections here and the journalists are quick to state the same thing: government control over fb. Praying for your safety and God's provision through this time!
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