In the late 1980s, Operation Vula brought exiled African National Congress (ANC) leaders and military capacity into South Africa despite legal and military obstacles. According to participants, a purpose-built encrypted communication system was critical to this success, but what was the significance of the technology? Was it simply a catalyst for change within the ANC leadership, or did the system crucially alter the political situation? This case study highlights the importance of four key factors affecting the interaction between new information and communication technologies (ICTs) and social movements. The factors are (a) ongoing technological innovation, (b) user practices, (c) technical competence, and (d) organizational routines. Scholarship that fails to consider these factors risks oversimplifying the process of sociotechnical change, hampering our ability to understand the relationship between ICTs and contentious political activity.
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