Based on five years of research documenting internet censorship, network interference, and internet shutdowns in Cameroon, COMPSUDEV presents this comprehensive policy brief with recommendations for protecting and advancing internet freedom. This brief is intended for policymakers, government officials, civil society leaders, telecommunications regulators, and international partners working to strengthen digital rights in Cameroon. Our recommendations are grounded in international human rights law, comparative policy analysis, and the lived experiences of Cameroonians affected by digital repression.
Executive Summary
Cameroon's internet landscape has been marked by significant restrictions that violate international human rights standards and undermine the country's development goals. Since 2016, Cameroon has experienced two major internet shutdowns lasting more than 180 days combined, systematic blocking of news websites and social media platforms, network throttling targeting specific services, and targeted surveillance of digital rights defenders and civil society activists. These restrictions have caused an estimated $100+ million in economic losses and have prevented millions of Cameroonians from exercising fundamental freedoms.
This policy brief recommends comprehensive legislative, regulatory, and institutional reforms to protect internet freedom and create an enabling environment for digital innovation and development:
- Enact an Internet Freedom Protection Law establishing legal protections and prohibiting arbitrary restrictions
- Reform telecommunications regulations to ensure independence of regulatory bodies
- Establish transparent procedures and judicial oversight for any internet restrictions
- Invest in redundant internet infrastructure to prevent monopolistic control
- Strengthen data protection and privacy laws aligned with international standards
- Support civil society monitoring and accountability mechanisms
- Ratify and implement international human rights treaties protecting freedom of expression
Context: The Current Situation
Internet Penetration and Strategic Importance
Internet access in Cameroon has grown significantly over the past decade. As of 2023:
- Internet penetration: Approximately 45-50% of the population has internet access
- Mobile internet dominance: 95%+ of internet access is through mobile networks, not fixed broadband
- Social media usage: 35%+ of the population uses social media platforms
- Digital economy growth: E-commerce, freelancing, and digital services growing at 15%+ annually
Despite growing connectivity, internet freedom has declined. Cameroon ranks in the bottom quartile globally on internet freedom indices (ranking 134 out of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders Freedom Index 2023). This represents a significant threat to development, innovation, and democratic participation.
Documented Restrictions
COMPSUDEV's research with OONI has documented:
- Two complete internet shutdowns (2017: 93 days; 2017-2018: 5 months)
- Systematic blocking of news websites and independent media
- Social media platform restrictions during periods of political sensitivity
- VPN and proxy service blocking preventing circumvention
- Network throttling making specific services unusable
- Targeted surveillance and monitoring of civil society activists
- Account closures and data deletion of politically active users
The human cost has been substantial: economic losses exceeding $100 million, disruption of healthcare and education, separation of families, and erosion of public trust in institutions.
International Legal Framework
International Treaties and Obligations
Cameroon has committed to international human rights standards that protect internet freedom:
United Nations Instruments
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR): Cameroon ratified in 1984. Article 19 protects freedom of expression including seeking and imparting information. The UN Human Rights Committee has stated that restrictions on internet access must meet strict necessity and proportionality tests.
- UN Human Rights Council Resolutions: Multiple resolutions (2016, 2018, 2021) affirm that same rights offline must be protected online, and that internet restrictions require clear legal basis, necessity, and proportionality.
- Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Economic Growth), SDG 16 (Peace and Justice) all depend on open internet access.
African Union Instruments
- African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights: Cameroon ratified in 1989. The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights has explicitly stated that internet shutdowns violate freedom of expression and assembly.
- African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance: Calls for freedom of expression and access to information as foundations of democratic governance.
- African Union Digital Transformation Strategy: Envisions a digitally empowered Africa with increased internet access and digital skills.
Regional Obligations
As a member of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Cameroon participates in regional frameworks promoting digital integration and free flow of information. However, internet restrictions undermine these regional objectives.
Comparative Policy Analysis
Best Practices from Other African Countries
Several African countries have implemented effective models for protecting internet freedom while addressing legitimate security and governance concerns:
South Africa: Legal Framework Approach
South Africa enacted the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) establishing clear legal standards for data protection and internet restrictions. The law requires:
- Narrow, clearly defined legal bases for any restrictions
- Judicial oversight through court orders
- Proportionality testing (restriction must be proportional to legitimate objective)
- Transparency and public reporting
South Africa's approach protects security and public order while establishing rule of law and due process.
Kenya: Independent Regulatory Authority
Kenya established the Communications and Multimedia Appeals Tribunal, an independent body empowered to oversee telecommunications regulation and internet governance. This independent authority:
- Prevents executive capture of regulatory decisions
- Provides transparent and accountable rule-making
- Offers recourse for citizens affected by restrictions
- Publishes decisions and reasons publicly
Rwanda: Infrastructure Resilience
Rwanda has invested in multiple internet routes and competitive service provision. This infrastructure approach:
- Prevents single points of failure enabling shutdowns
- Promotes competition improving service quality and affordability
- Enables continued connectivity even if one provider is disrupted
Recommended Policy Reforms
1. Enact Internet Freedom Protection Law
Rationale
Cameroon currently lacks comprehensive legal protections for internet freedom. Existing legal frameworks are ambiguous and can be interpreted broadly to justify censorship. A clear, modern Internet Freedom Protection Law would establish binding legal standards.
Recommended Elements
- Prohibition of Arbitrary Shutdowns: "No person or authority may order, implement, or cause the intentional disruption of internet services except as authorized by court order following procedures defined in this law."
- Strict Necessity Test: Internet restrictions may only be imposed when "(a) authorized by law; (b) necessary to protect a legitimate government objective; (c) the least restrictive means available; and (d) proportional to the objective sought."
- Judicial Authorization: "No internet restriction shall be implemented without prior court order, except in emergency circumstances where emergency orders must be sought within 24 hours."
- Time Limits: "Internet restrictions shall not exceed 30 days without judicial review, and shall not exceed 90 days total without legislative authorization."
- Transparency Requirements: "Government shall publish all internet restriction orders, with reasons, within 24 hours of implementation. Annual reports of all restrictions shall be published."
- Non-Discrimination: "Internet restrictions must apply equally to all users; selective blocking of specific platforms or services is prohibited unless justified by distinct risks from those services."
- Accountability Mechanisms: "Government officials and authorities violating this law shall face criminal and civil penalties. Citizens harmed by unlawful restrictions may seek damages."
Implementation Steps
- Draft law in consultation with civil society, telecommunications industry, and international experts
- Public consultation period of 90 days with published comments
- Parliamentary debate and amendment process
- Legislative approval and presidential assent
- Regulatory guidance by ARCEP (telecommunications regulator)
2. Reform Telecommunications Regulatory Framework
Rationale
The Cameroon Telecommunications Authority (ARCEP) is responsible for regulating telecommunications, including internet. However, ARCEP's independence is compromised by executive control. Regulations enabling internet shutdowns are too vague and lack transparent procedures. Reform is needed to ensure independent, transparent, accountable regulation.
Recommended Reforms
- Regulatory Independence: Establish ARCEP as an independent authority with board members appointed for fixed terms with security of tenure. Board should include telecommunications experts, civil society representatives, and consumer advocates—not government officials.
- Transparent Rule-Making: Require ARCEP to publish proposed regulations, allow 60-day public comment periods, and publish final regulations with explanations of how comments influenced decisions.
- Competitive Market Structure: Ensure at least 3 competing internet service providers to prevent monopoly control. Reduce barriers to entry for new providers.
- Net Neutrality Principles: Regulate network management to prevent discrimination against specific services or content (except for legitimate technical reasons).
- Consumer Protections: Require transparency in terms of service, enable consumer complaints mechanisms, and empower ARCEP to enforce consumer protections.
- Service Quality Standards: Establish minimum service quality standards (uptime, speed, latency) with penalties for non-compliance.
3. Establish Transparent Procedures for Internet Restrictions
Rationale
Even with legal restrictions, government might claim emergencies justify internet shutdowns. Clear procedures for emergency restrictions, with built-in safeguards, can balance security needs with rights protection.
Emergency Restriction Procedures
- Authorization Chain: Internet restrictions must be authorized by the highest government level (Prime Minister or President), not lower officials.
- Emergency Justification: Government must document specific, imminent threats justifying restrictions (e.g., active threat to human life, critical national security).
- Narrow Scope: Restrictions must target the narrowest possible group (specific geographic regions, specific services) rather than blanket shutdowns.
- Immediate Notification: Government must notify the public, courts, ARCEP, and civil society within 2 hours of implementing emergency restrictions.
- Judicial Review: Courts must review restrictions within 24 hours and can order cessation if justification is insufficient.
- Time Limits: Emergency restrictions automatically expire after 7 days unless extended by court order, and cannot exceed 30 days without legislative action.
- Public Accounting: Government must publish detailed reports on emergency restrictions within 30 days, explaining circumstances and outcomes.
4. Invest in Resilient Internet Infrastructure
Rationale
Cameroon's internet currently depends heavily on limited submarine cables and centralized network infrastructure. This concentration enables easy shutdowns. Infrastructure investment promoting redundancy and competition prevents shutdowns from being feasible.
Infrastructure Investments
- Submarine Cable Diversity: Diversify international connectivity across multiple submarine cables. Currently, outages affecting one or two cables could disrupt national connectivity. Target 3+ independent submarine connections.
- Regional Fiber Networks: Invest in fiber optic backbone connecting major cities with redundant routes. This reduces dependence on single network paths.
- Last-Mile Connectivity: Expand mobile and fixed broadband to reach underserved areas. This increases the number of access points and networks, making shutdowns more difficult.
- Data Center Resilience: Encourage local data center development to reduce dependence on foreign infrastructure and improve service quality.
- Competitive Market: Remove barriers to new internet service providers. Competition drives infrastructure investment and resilience.
5. Strengthen Data Protection and Privacy Laws
Rationale
Internet freedom requires not just freedom from censorship, but protection from surveillance and misuse of personal data. Cameroon lacks comprehensive data protection laws meeting international standards. Civil society organizations and activists face surveillance risks that undermine their ability to operate freely.
Recommended Data Protection Law
- Legal Basis for Processing: Personal data can only be processed with clear legal basis and individual consent (with narrow exceptions for critical public interests).
- Data Minimization: Organizations collect only necessary data, with automatic deletion of data no longer needed.
- Transparency: Individuals informed of what data is collected and how it's used.
- Individual Rights: People can access their data, correct errors, and demand deletion (with limited exceptions).
- Security Requirements: Organizations must implement security measures protecting data from unauthorized access.
- Vendor Accountability: Third-party service providers (cloud providers, analytics companies) bound by same protections.
- Surveillance Warrants: Law enforcement access to personal data requires judicial warrants showing necessity and proportionality.
- Independent Oversight: Independent Data Protection Authority monitors compliance and investigates complaints.
6. Support Civil Society Monitoring and Accountability
Rationale
Government self-regulation is insufficient. Independent civil society monitoring provides accountability and early warning of violations. International partnerships ensure global visibility of violations and best practices.
Recommendations
- Monitoring Partnerships: Government should partner with OONI and other international monitoring organizations to conduct regular internet freedom audits.
- Civil Society Access: Grant civil society organizations access to network data and investigation capabilities to document internet restrictions.
- Public Reporting: Require public reporting of all network disruptions, blocking events, and restrictions with analysis of causes.
- International Engagement: Invite UN special rapporteurs and international observers to assess internet freedom and make recommendations.
- Complaint Mechanisms: Establish accessible complaint mechanisms for citizens harmed by internet restrictions, with independent investigation.
7. Ratify and Implement International Human Rights Treaties
Recommended Actions
- Optional Protocol to ICCPR: Cameroon should ratify the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, allowing individuals to lodge complaints with the UN Human Rights Committee if their rights are violated.
- African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights: Grant individuals and civil society the right to petition the African Court, providing continental accountability mechanism.
- Regional Human Rights Mechanisms: Strengthen engagement with African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights and regional human rights bodies.
Implementation Roadmap
Phase 1: Immediate Actions (0-6 months)
- Establish multi-stakeholder working group on internet freedom including government, civil society, private sector, academia
- Commission detailed study of comparative policy models from other African countries
- Initiate stakeholder consultations on Internet Freedom Protection Law
- Strengthen coordination with OONI on ongoing internet freedom monitoring
Phase 2: Medium-term (6-18 months)
- Draft Internet Freedom Protection Law and Data Protection Law
- Conduct public consultation on proposed legislation
- Present legislation to Parliament for debate and approval
- Begin infrastructure investment planning for redundant connectivity
Phase 3: Long-term (18-36 months)
- Implement approved legislation through regulatory guidance and enforcement
- Execute infrastructure investments in submarine cable diversity and fiber backbones
- Establish independent regulatory authority governance structure
- Implement data protection requirements across government and private sector
- Establish civil society monitoring partnerships and complaint mechanisms
Expected Outcomes
Implementation of these recommendations would result in measurable improvements:
- Rule of Law: Clear, transparent legal framework replacing arbitrary executive decision-making
- Human Rights Protection: Constitutional and statutory protections for freedom of expression and internet access
- Economic Growth: Enabling environment for digital economy, reducing costs of shutdowns and restrictions
- Innovation: Thriving startup ecosystem and tech industry development enabled by open internet
- Development: Improved access to education, healthcare, financial services, and government services
- Democratic Participation: Citizens able to engage in civic discourse and hold government accountable
- International Standing: Improved reputation and investment climate from protection of fundamental freedoms
Addressing Counter-Arguments
"Internet Restrictions Are Necessary for National Security"
Internet freedom and national security are not opposed. Countries with strong internet freedom protections (Estonia, South Korea, Germany) also have effective security. The key is using narrow, proportional, transparent restrictions for genuine security threats—not using "security" as justification for political censorship. Our recommendations maintain legitimate security tools while preventing abuse.
"This Will Reduce Government Control"
Yes, and that's the point. Excessive government control of information is the root cause of the problem. Democratic governance depends on open information flow, accountability, and citizen participation. Evidence from countries worldwide shows that protecting internet freedom correlates with better governance, not worse.
"Implementation Costs Are Prohibitive"
The costs of internet shutdowns are far higher. The 2017-2018 shutdowns cost Cameroon $100+ million in lost economic productivity. Investing in infrastructure and regulatory reform is a fraction of those costs, with ongoing benefits. International development partners often fund such improvements.
Conclusion
Cameroon stands at a crossroads. The government can choose to protect internet freedom, establish rule of law in digital governance, and position Cameroon as a leader in African digital development. Or it can continue restricting the internet, damaging the economy, violating human rights, and falling behind globally.
These recommendations offer a clear path forward—one grounded in international law, comparative policy analysis, and evidence of what works. Implementation requires leadership, will, and partnerships across government, civil society, and the private sector. But the investment is worthwhile. Internet freedom is not a luxury; it is essential to human dignity, development, and democratic governance.
COMPSUDEV stands ready to support implementation of these reforms through research, technical assistance, civil society engagement, and international partnership. The time for change is now.