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Message: <blockquote data-quote="aru21atnet" data-source="post: 23382231" data-attributes="member: 332289">  [FONT=&quot]ලංකාවෙත් මෙහෙම වෙයිද මන්දා ??? <img src="/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/default/eek.gif"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":eek:" title="eek    :eek:" data-shortname=":eek:" /><img src="/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/default/eek.gif"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":eek:" title="eek    :eek:" data-shortname=":eek:" /><img src="/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/default/eek.gif"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":eek:" title="eek    :eek:" data-shortname=":eek:" />[/FONT]<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uganda-to-block-vpns-after-people-begin-avoiding-new-social-media-tax-180702/" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uganda-to-block-vpns-after-people-begin-avoiding-new-social-media-tax-180702/" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uganda-to-block-vpns-after-people-begin-avoiding-new-social-media-tax-180702/" target="_blank">Uganda to Block VPNs After People Begin Avoiding New Social Media Tax</a> As of yesterday, social media use in Uganda became  a taxable activity, with users of Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, Tinder  and dozens of other services all hit by new legislation. With users  flooding to VPNs to avoid this new assault on their pockets, VPN use has  gone through the roof. In response, the government says it has ordered  local ISPs to begin blocking VPNs.They  say that death and taxes are the only two certain things in life. We  all expire eventually and in most civilized countries it’s almost  impossible to avoid levies on everything from goods and services to  essential fuels.As Internet users we also pay taxes on our ISP bills but what if the  government stepped in and taxed certain online activities as well?  Starting yesterday, that’s now the reality in Uganda after the  authorities introduced a controversial tax on people using dozens of  Internet services including Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, and Instagram.Passed in May by the Ugandan parliament, the legislation requires  local Internet service providers to block a wide range of social media  and telecoms platforms until subscribers pay a flat fee of 200 shillings  (US$0.051) per day. While just shy of US$19 per year might not  initially sound like much, per capita income stands at US$600 and  millions of Ugandans survive on less than a dollar per dayIn a joint statement, ISPs MTN, Airtel, and Africell informed their  customers that the services listed above would be blocked until payment  is made. Payment must be made in advance via mobile phones, with a small  discount available if customers pay a month up front.“Access will be granted for a calendar day until 12:00 AM for the  day, i.e until midnight if the customer has paid for one day,” the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/images/uganda-tax.png" target="_blank">notice</a> reads.While this kind of taxation appears unique, people’s desire to avoid  taxes is universal. In this case, that is easily achieved by using a  VPN, since they’re able to circumvent ISP restrictions placed on the  sites listed above. As a result, VPNs are now suddenly at the height of  fashion in Uganda, with searches reaching an all-time high on Google.But with Ugandans restoring their online freedom in droves, the  government isn’t happy at the prospect of losing its revenue. Within  hours of the news that VPNs were gaining in popularity, the government  stepped in to do something about it.In a statement, Uganda Communications Commission Executive Director,  Godfrey Mutabazi said that Internet service providers would be ordered  to block VPNs to prevent citizens from avoiding the social media tax.Mutabazi told <a href="https://dispatch.ug/2018/07/01/telecom-companies-will-block-vpns-says-mutabazi/" target="_blank">Dispatch</a>  that ISPs are already taking action to prevent VPNs from being  accessible but since there are so many, it won’t be possible to block  them all.In the meantime, the government is trying to portray VPNs as more  expensive to use than the tax. In a post on Facebook this morning,  Mutabazi promoted the tax as the sensible economic option.“If you think it is cheaper to use VPN than paying Shs 200/day, I  think it is very unwise to think that because the data consumption under  VPN is very high, I think you’re aware of that,” his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ugandagovernment/posts/1466072406831467" target="_blank">post</a> reads.“We have technology that will block the VPN services so that no one  dodges the taxes. Different VPN systems continue to come with more  advanced features to circumvent government crackdowns but governments  around the world have continued to block them.”While that may be the case, it appears that many Ugandans are <a href="https://twitter.com/kyedza/status/1013297604338307072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1013297604338307072&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fobserver.ug%2Fnews%2Fheadlines%2F58064-ugandans-again-run-to-vpn-as-social-media-tax-starts-to-bite.html" target="_blank">outraged</a>  at the prospect of yet another tax and see VPN use as a protest,  despite any additional cost. Opposition figures have already called for a  boycott with support coming in from all corners of society. The  government appears unmoved, however.“If we tax essentials like water, why not social media?” said Frank  Tumwebaze, Minister of Information Technology and Communications. “This  tax will improve connectivity. It is all about connectivity.”Citizens trying to access Facebook, Instagram and Twitter this morning may have a tendency to disagree.source<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uganda-to-block-vpns-after-people-begin-avoiding-new-social-media-tax-180702/" target="_blank">https://torrentfreak.com/uganda-to-block-vpns-after-people-begin-avoiding-new-social-media-tax-180702/</a></blockquote>

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