Uganda, Oct. 21 -- A lot of ink, airtime and all has been poured on this subject since the recent passing of the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act 2022. The matter is now before the courts where lawyers and judges shall have their day, and we ordinary folks shall hear the last word.

Journalists and civil society activists have been at the forefront of rejecting this law - and rightly so - because journalism is about communication and civil society is about articulation of alternative perspectives, sometimes unpalatable to the establishment. They may therefore be caught not by this law, but by its misuse.

So we find ourselves in a dilemma. On one hand, the State is trying to get around the misuse of an otherwise good gadget that has revolu...