According to the recent legislation passed by the Ethiopian government, it is now illegal to make a 30-second call using Skype in the country and the penalty for committing this act is being imprisoned for 15 years. It is not just for the popular Voice Over IP (VoIP) service like Skype alone, but for all the others too, including Google Voice. The law was recently passed, however was not highlight much in the international media, which is often known to bring to the forefront such issues against freedom of communication and freedom of expression.

The reason behind the ban again is the use of such a facility without being monitored by the authorities, something typical of a country with less or no democracy. The pretext is of providing security and national defence. The news however must be something of a positive air for Ethio Teleco, which holds the sole monopoly over communication infrastructure. That too is owned by the government, hence spying becomes really easy.

The criminals though still remain on the loose, but those who raise voices against the government are hushed. This new law essentially is against the use of any social media network that enables such easy way of communication both within and outside of Ethiopia. This is essentially against the right and freedom of expression. But the silence of the international press, where the interests of the U.S. are not so currently and dominantly present, is astonishing.

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