A recent survey reveals that nearly one in eight German online shoppers have been victims of fake online stores within the last two years. These fraudulent sites often mimic legitimate businesses, taking payments for goods that are never delivered to customers.

• Nearly 70 percent of online shoppers encountered dubious or fraudulent websites in the past two years, with 51 percent encountering them multiple times.
• The Federation of German Consumer Organisations (VZBV) reported over 10,000 complaints about fake online stores in 2024, a 47 percent increase from 2023.
• Ramona Pop, VZBV board member, stated that major online platforms like Google and Meta, which profit from advertising, must take greater responsibility, as half of the examined fake shops placed ads on their platforms.

Frequent internet shutdowns across Africa are severely threatening economic growth and investor confidence, warned the digital rights group Paradigm Initiative (PIN). Tanzania, in particular, suffered "economically devastating" disruptions during its recent general elections and an ongoing social media ban.

• Tanzania's election-related internet blackout and continued X (formerly Twitter) suspension have cost the country over Sh35.6 billion ($238 million) in direct losses.
• The nationwide shutdown from October 29 to November 3 translated to losses of at least Sh10.7 billion ($72 million), or about Sh2 billion ($13.8 million) per day.
• The ongoing suspension of X, in place for over 160 days, has cost Tanzania's economy an estimated Sh24.9 billion ($165 million).
• Executive Director Gbenga Sesan stated these disruptions are "economically devastating and deeply damaging to digital rights."
• In Kenya, partial outages during the June 2024 Finance Bill protests led to a 40 percent drop in connectivity and negatively impacted over 1.2 million people engaged in digital work.

A UK-registered website, Kenya Horn Hub, is under scrutiny for allegedly advertising "adult tours" in Kenya, which rights groups claim promotes sexual exploitation. This has led to calls for investigations by both Kenyan and UK authorities.

• Human rights group Stand Up to Racism alleges the website markets women as part of the travel experience.
• The website, operating under the domain kenyahornhub.uk, appears as a travel service.
• Concerns have been reignited regarding Kenya’s ability to address sexual exploitation involving foreigners, citing past incidents like the collapsed trial of a German national and the 2023 arrest of Dutch national Elwin Ter Horst.