AU body presses accelerator on data access
A new African Union resolution urges African states to recognise “the importance of comprehensive African access to the data held by technology companies”.
It adds that access should be “on a par with the highest standards in other regions”. The resolution explains that this is “essential for knowledge about systemic risks to information integrity” on the companies’ services, “as well as for independent assessments in relation thereto”.
The text was agreed on 11 March 2025 by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). Its content was proposed by the Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, Ms. Geereesha Topsy Sono.
The title of the ACHPR decision is: “Resolution on developing Guidelines to assist States monitor technology companies in respect of their duty to maintain information integrity through independent fact checking”.
The logic in the resolution is that effective monitoring technology firms, in terms of information integrity, necessitates access to the data holdings of these entities.
Currently, most digital platforms and AI companies do not allow access to their data (API) interfaces for Africans, although they do provide this for researchers in North America and Europe.
Meta is one company that does not exclude Africans from its “content library and API” However, the data sets there are limited, especially in terms of the possibility of monitoring labels that the company says it applies to AI-generated and fact-checked content.
Some data from the platforms can be bought commercially from data broker companies, at a price that is very high for Africans, but these options also offer only limited data sets.
The ACHPR resolution notes with “deep concern the recent regress by technology companies with regard to information integrity and online protection of expression and access to information”. This is in reference to backtracking by X, Met and YouTube about online content moderation policies and practices.
Action mandated by the resolution is for the Rapporteur to consult with all interested parties to develop Guidelines that will enable States Parties to effectively monitor the platforms’ performance.
