Cellphones' role in activism in Africa is threatened

When rioters took to the streets of Mozambique's capital, Maputo, in September, the government swiftly called out the police. When investigators discovered that protesters mobilized via text messaging, the government called on private cellphone firms to turn off text messaging. For local activists - some of whom use texting, or SMS, to organize peace efforts - the government crackdown seemed draconian. And the move may serve as a warning shot far beyond Mozambique in a continent of 1 billion people where there's a mobile phone for every adult.