{"id":"https://openalex.org/W4385245166","doi":"https://doi.org/10.20940/jae/2022/v21i2a1","title":"Information Controls and Internet Shutdowns in African Elections: The Politics of Electoral Integrity and Abuses of Power","display_name":"Information Controls and Internet Shutdowns in African Elections: The Politics of Electoral Integrity and Abuses of Power","publication_year":2022,"publication_date":"2022-10-01","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W4385245166","doi":"https://doi.org/10.20940/jae/2022/v21i2a1"},"language":"en","primary_location":{"id":"doi:10.20940/jae/2022/v21i2a1","doi":"https://doi.org/10.20940/jae/2022/v21i2a1","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.20940/jae/2022/v21i2a1","pdf_url":"https://doi.org/10.20940/jae/2022/v21i2a1","source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4210181253","display_name":"Journal of African Elections","issn_l":"1609-4700","issn":["1609-4700","2415-5837"],"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"listed_in":["dhet","jufo-1","norway-1"],"host_organization":null,"host_organization_name":null,"host_organization_lineage":[],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"journal"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Journal of African Elections","raw_type":"journal-article"},"volume":null,"type":"article","indexed_in":["crossref"],"open_access":{"is_oa":true,"oa_status":"bronze","oa_url":"https://doi.org/10.20940/jae/2022/v21i2a1","any_repository_has_fulltext":false},"authorships":[{"author_position":"first","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5002396793","display_name":"Nicole Stremlau","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2728-2293","observed_orcids":["https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2728-2293"]},"institutions":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/I24027795","display_name":"University of Johannesburg","ror":"https://ror.org/04z6c2n17","country_code":"ZA","type":"education","lineage":["https://openalex.org/I24027795"]},{"id":"https://openalex.org/I40120149","display_name":"University of Oxford","ror":"https://ror.org/052gg0110","country_code":"GB","type":"education","lineage":["https://openalex.org/I40120149"]}],"countries":["GB","ZA"],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Nicole Stremlau","raw_affiliation_strings":["Policy , Centre for Socio-Legal Studies , University of Oxford and research professor , School of Communications , University of Johannesburg","programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, University of Oxford and research professor, School of Communications, University of Johannesburg"],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[{"raw_affiliation_string":"Policy , Centre for Socio-Legal Studies , University of Oxford and research professor , School of Communications , University of Johannesburg","institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I24027795","https://openalex.org/I40120149"]},{"raw_affiliation_string":"programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, University of Oxford and research professor, School of Communications, University of Johannesburg","institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I24027795","https://openalex.org/I40120149"]}]},{"author_position":"last","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5064950300","display_name":"Nathan Dobson","orcid":null,"observed_orcids":[]},"institutions":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/I24027795","display_name":"University of Johannesburg","ror":"https://ror.org/04z6c2n17","country_code":"ZA","type":"education","lineage":["https://openalex.org/I24027795"]},{"id":"https://openalex.org/I40120149","display_name":"University of Oxford","ror":"https://ror.org/052gg0110","country_code":"GB","type":"education","lineage":["https://openalex.org/I40120149"]},{"id":"https://openalex.org/I79619799","display_name":"University of Birmingham","ror":"https://ror.org/03angcq70","country_code":"GB","type":"education","lineage":["https://openalex.org/I79619799"]}],"countries":["GB","ZA"],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Nathan Dobson","raw_affiliation_strings":["University of Birmingham","programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, University of Oxford and research professor, School of Communications, University of Johannesburg"],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[{"raw_affiliation_string":"University of Birmingham","institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I79619799"]},{"raw_affiliation_string":"programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, University of Oxford and research professor, School of Communications, University of Johannesburg","institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I24027795","https://openalex.org/I40120149"]}]}],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":2,"institutions_distinct_count":3,"corresponding_author_ids":[],"corresponding_institution_ids":[],"apc_list":null,"apc_paid":null,"fwci":2.2862,"has_fulltext":true,"cited_by_count":9,"citation_normalized_percentile":{"value":0.89128149,"is_in_top_1_percent":false,"is_in_top_10_percent":false},"cited_by_percentile_year":{"min":89,"max":98},"biblio":{"volume":"21","issue":"2","first_page":"1","last_page":"22"},"is_retracted":false,"is_paratext":false,"is_xpac":false,"primary_topic":{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10557","display_name":"Social Media and Politics","score":0.3043999969959259,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/3315","display_name":"Communication"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/33","display_name":"Social Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10557","display_name":"Social Media and Politics","score":0.3043999969959259,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/3315","display_name":"Communication"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/33","display_name":"Social Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11147","display_name":"Misinformation and Its Impacts","score":0.2442999929189682,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/3312","display_name":"Sociology and Political Science"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/33","display_name":"Social Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T14432","display_name":"Freedom of Expression and Defamation","score":0.23770000040531158,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/3308","display_name":"Law"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/33","display_name":"Social Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/internet-shutdowns","display_name":"internet shutdowns","score":0.9990000128746033},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/information-control","display_name":"information control","score":0.777999997138977},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/electoral-integrity","display_name":"electoral integrity","score":0.8550000190734863},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/electoral-manipulation","display_name":"electoral manipulation","score":0.625},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/disinformation","display_name":"disinformation","score":0.75},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/misinformation","display_name":"misinformation","score":0.8360000252723694},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/online-content-moderation","display_name":"online content moderation","score":0.8240000009536743},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/social-media-regulation","display_name":"social media regulation","score":0.6430000066757202},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/censorship","display_name":"censorship","score":0.8059999942779541},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/abuse-of-power","display_name":"abuse of power","score":0.7570000290870667},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/african-elections","display_name":"African elections","score":0.625},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/national-security","display_name":"national security","score":0.47999998927116394}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2776552730","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q189656","display_name":"Disinformation","level":3,"score":0.865156352519989},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2776990098","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q13579947","display_name":"Misinformation","level":2,"score":0.6969993710517883},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2779343474","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3109175","display_name":"Context (archaeology)","level":2,"score":0.6409561038017273},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C52930066","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q543","display_name":"Censorship","level":2,"score":0.6252957582473755},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C94625758","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7163","display_name":"Politics","level":2,"score":0.5769575238227844},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C110875604","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q75","display_name":"The Internet","level":2,"score":0.5756835341453552},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C518677369","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q202833","display_name":"Social media","level":2,"score":0.547610342502594},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C17744445","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q36442","display_name":"Political science","level":0,"score":0.44723960757255554},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C108827166","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q175975","display_name":"Internet privacy","level":1,"score":0.4372524917125702},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C163258240","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25342","display_name":"Power (physics)","level":2,"score":0.41285446286201477},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C138921699","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q47555","display_name":"Political economy","level":1,"score":0.38339486718177795},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C39549134","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133080","display_name":"Public relations","level":1,"score":0.3516121208667755},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C199539241","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7748","display_name":"Law","level":1,"score":0.30977851152420044},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C144024400","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21201","display_name":"Sociology","level":0,"score":0.24687471985816956},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C86803240","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q420","display_name":"Biology","level":0,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C41008148","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21198","display_name":"Computer science","level":0,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C62520636","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q944","display_name":"Quantum mechanics","level":1,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C121332964","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q413","display_name":"Physics","level":0,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C151730666","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7205","display_name":"Paleontology","level":1,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C136764020","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q466","display_name":"World Wide Web","level":1,"score":0.0}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":1,"locations":[{"id":"doi:10.20940/jae/2022/v21i2a1","doi":"https://doi.org/10.20940/jae/2022/v21i2a1","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.20940/jae/2022/v21i2a1","pdf_url":"https://doi.org/10.20940/jae/2022/v21i2a1","source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4210181253","display_name":"Journal of African Elections","issn_l":"1609-4700","issn":["1609-4700","2415-5837"],"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"listed_in":["dhet","jufo-1","norway-1"],"host_organization":null,"host_organization_name":null,"host_organization_lineage":[],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"journal"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Journal of African Elections","raw_type":"journal-article"}],"best_oa_location":{"id":"doi:10.20940/jae/2022/v21i2a1","doi":"https://doi.org/10.20940/jae/2022/v21i2a1","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.20940/jae/2022/v21i2a1","pdf_url":"https://doi.org/10.20940/jae/2022/v21i2a1","source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4210181253","display_name":"Journal of African Elections","issn_l":"1609-4700","issn":["1609-4700","2415-5837"],"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"listed_in":["dhet","jufo-1","norway-1"],"host_organization":null,"host_organization_name":null,"host_organization_lineage":[],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"journal"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Journal of African Elections","raw_type":"journal-article"},"sustainable_development_goals":[{"score":1.0,"id":"https://metadata.un.org/sdg/16","display_name":"Peace, justice, and strong institutions"}],"sustainable_development_goals_aurora":[{"score":0.7900000214576721,"id":"https://metadata.un.org/sdg/16","display_name":"Peace, justice, and strong institutions"}],"study_designs":[],"awards":[],"funders":[],"has_content":{"grobid_xml":true,"pdf":true},"content_urls":{"pdf":"https://content.openalex.org/works/W4385245166.pdf","grobid_xml":"https://content.openalex.org/works/W4385245166.grobid-xml"},"referenced_works_count":26,"referenced_works":["https://openalex.org/W47072998","https://openalex.org/W1502509526","https://openalex.org/W1982772678","https://openalex.org/W1989464234","https://openalex.org/W2053936329","https://openalex.org/W2078124641","https://openalex.org/W2086103032","https://openalex.org/W2120943738","https://openalex.org/W2135115883","https://openalex.org/W2155769064","https://openalex.org/W2168369161","https://openalex.org/W2254187568","https://openalex.org/W2418680006","https://openalex.org/W2605487735","https://openalex.org/W2699010018","https://openalex.org/W2788164788","https://openalex.org/W2791443502","https://openalex.org/W2901377181","https://openalex.org/W2902112105","https://openalex.org/W2976056702","https://openalex.org/W2981949700","https://openalex.org/W3049709938","https://openalex.org/W3096205231","https://openalex.org/W3178733825","https://openalex.org/W4302954721","https://openalex.org/W4413569655"],"related_works":["https://openalex.org/W7220831469","https://openalex.org/W4413809359","https://openalex.org/W2898739730","https://openalex.org/W2991645855","https://openalex.org/W7112780211","https://openalex.org/W3096205231","https://openalex.org/W4283376734","https://openalex.org/W3049709938","https://openalex.org/W4405694891","https://openalex.org/W4291143410"],"abstract_inverted_index":{"Internet":[0,31],"shutdowns":[1,40,93,137],"in":[2,36,97,172,191],"Africa":[3,37],"are":[4,38,113],"becoming":[5],"increasingly":[6],"widespread,":[7],"particularly":[8,193],"when":[9],"governments":[10],"face":[11],"competitive":[12,124],"or":[13,82],"contentious":[14],"elections.":[15,84,125,195],"They":[16],"have":[17],"also":[18],"come":[19],"to":[20,79,122,149,185],"symbolise":[21],"a":[22,146],"widening":[23],"fracture":[24],"between":[25],"competing":[26],"conceptions":[27],"of":[28,68,101,105,111,152,164,176,181],"the":[29,48,98,102,162,174,179],"global":[30],"and":[32,45,51,58,70,119,138,155,178,189],"its":[33],"regulation.":[34],"Governments":[35],"justifying":[39],"as":[41,64,116,145,168],"able":[42],"address":[43,187],"misinformation":[44,188],"disinformation,":[46],"protect":[47],"election":[49,156],"process,":[50],"ensure":[52],"national":[53],"security.":[54],"International":[55],"organisations,":[56],"NGOs,":[57],"social":[59,153,182],"networking":[60],"platforms":[61],"condemn":[62],"these":[63],"an":[65,73,88,169],"inadmissible":[66],"form":[67],"censorship":[69],"information":[71,106],"control,":[72],"abuse":[74],"by":[75,94,160],"political":[76],"actors":[77],"seeking":[78],"silence":[80],"critics":[81],"manipulate":[83],"This":[85],"article":[86],"offers":[87],"alternative":[89],"reading":[90],"on":[91],"internet":[92],"placing":[95],"them":[96],"historical":[99],"context":[100],"wide":[103],"range":[104],"controls":[107],"around":[108,194],"elections,":[109],"many":[110],"which":[112],"widely":[114],"regarded":[115,144],"being":[117],"acceptable":[118],"legitimate":[120],"mechanisms":[121],"support":[123],"By":[126],"offering":[127],"this":[128],"context,":[129],"we":[130],"can":[131,141],"ask":[132],"what":[133],"is":[134],"new":[135],"about":[136],"whether":[139],"they":[140],"ever":[142],"be":[143],"proportionate":[147],"response":[148],"real":[150],"concerns":[151],"media":[154,183],"manipulation.":[157],"We":[158],"conclude":[159],"highlighting":[161],"inequalities":[163],"online":[165],"content":[166],"moderation":[167],"often-overlooked":[170],"factor":[171],"driving":[173],"use":[175],"shutdowns,":[177],"failure":[180],"companies":[184],"effectively":[186],"disinformation":[190],"Africa,":[192]},"counts_by_year":[{"year":2026,"cited_by_count":3},{"year":2025,"cited_by_count":3},{"year":2024,"cited_by_count":1},{"year":2023,"cited_by_count":1},{"year":2022,"cited_by_count":1}],"updated_date":"2026-10-27T15:51:10.671819","created_date":"2023-07-26T00:00:00"}
