Facebook Goes '2Africa' — with Julie Owono

This summer, Facebook unveiled “2Africa,” a subsea cable project
that will encircle nearly the entire continent of Africa — much
to the surprise of Julie Owono. As Executive Director of Internet
Without Borders, she’s seen how quickly projects like this can
become enmeshed in local politics, as private companies dig
through territorial waters, negotiate with local officials and
gradually assume responsibility over vital pieces of national
infrastructure. “It’s critical, now, that communities have a seat
at the table,” Julie says. We ask her about the risks of tech
companies leading us into an age of “digital colonialism,” and
what she hopes to achieve as a newly appointed member of
Facebook’s Oversight Board.