Andre Yoskowitz
16 Jun 2012 17:17
Thanks to new legislation passed by the government, using Skype in Ethiopia can come with a 15-year jail sentence.
The legislation actually criminalizes the use of VoIP in the country, and that includes notable services like Skype and Google Voice.
In the nation, all citizen's communications are monitored by authorities, but VoIP was the exception.
Ethio Teleco is the only communications infrastructure in the country, and it is run by the government. The new legislation also bans video chatting, social media, e-mail, and "any other data transfer service capable of communicating information."
Finally, the new law also "gives the government the right to inspect any imported voice communication equipment as well as the power to ban any inbound packages that don't have prior permission from the state," says VB.
Long story short, using the Internet to make phone calls can get you 15 years in jail and a large fine. Using VPN and Tor may not work either, as the government has installed a system to block access to such services.