Tanzania’s Digital Censorship Crisis: A Growing Concern

In an alarming turn of events, Tanzania has recently blocked access to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, for the second time within a year. This action has sparked serious discussions about digital freedoms in the country, highlighting a continuing trend towards increased censorship. How does this affect ordinary citizens who rely on digital spaces to express their opinions and foster connections?

On May 20, 2023, the internet observatory group NetBlocks confirmed the disruption, noting that access to X became unavailable across major internet service providers throughout Tanzania. In their statement, they remarked, “Confirmed: Live metrics show X (formerly Twitter) has become unreachable on major internet providers in Tanzania.” The confirmation underscored a troubling trend where digital communication increasingly falls under government scrutiny.

The roots of this shutdown may lie in a cybersecurity incident involving the official X account of the Tanzania Police Force (TANPOL). Reports from Kenyans.co.ke suggest that hackers gained access to the account, using it to disseminate false information about President Samia Suluhu Hassan. While the government has yet to provide a clear explanation for this latest ban, the overarching atmosphere of suspicion and control raises significant concerns. How does one reconcile the need for security with the importance of digital expression?

Advocates for human rights and press freedom have increasingly criticized Tanzania’s tightening grip on digital platforms. They argue that such actions compromise not only free expression but also democratic accountability itself. The very nature of democracy is rooted in open dialogue, diverse opinions, and the capacity to question authority. When a government curtails these fundamentals, what does that say about its commitment to its citizens?

Tanzania’s Long-Standing Relationship with Social Media Bans

Over the years, Tanzania has crafted a narrative deeply interwoven with social media censorship. This journey intensified in 2017 with the introduction of the Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations, which were further amended in 2020 to criminalize certain types of content labeled as obscene, hateful, or disruptive. The government has increasingly wielded these regulations like a sword, slicing through the fabric of online expression.

In the lead-up to the 2020 general elections, the government adopted even more restrictive measures, blocking social media and messaging apps while limiting SMS usage. During this critical period, platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and X found themselves either partially or entirely blocked. One has to wonder: why block the very tools that enable civic engagement during an election year?

Fast forward to 2024, and the situation has only deteriorated. Internet Service Providers including Airtel, Vodacom, Halotel, Tigo, and TTCL faced government pressure to block access to X nationwide. This decision stoked fresh fears about the erosion of digital freedom. Authorities claimed that the opposition party CHADEMA was harnessing Zoom to orchestrate protests targeting police stations and government offices. Can such extreme measures truly safeguard national stability, or do they simply amplify the voices of dissent?

Earlier this month, the government escalated its enforcement of the 2017 online content law, resulting in the shutdown of over 80,000 websites, social media accounts, blogs, and other digital platforms. While authorities justified these actions as necessary for protecting children’s mental health, critics decried it as a sweeping digital purge. This raises a poignant question: who decides what is ‘safe’ for the public to access?

This trend is not isolated to Tanzania alone; it reflects a growing pattern seen across the African continent. Internet shutdowns have surged alarmingly in frequency. Consider this: in 2023, sub-Saharan Africa lost an estimated $1.74 billion due to government-initiated internet disruptions. A disheartening statistic, indeed. Last year alone, the region recorded 114 shutdowns across 23 countries, an increase from 50 shutdowns in 21 countries in 2021, and even higher numbers in previous years.

The escalating trend of censorship raises critical questions about the trajectory of democracy, freedom, and human rights in Africa. Are digital platforms our modern-day public squares, or have they become fortresses guarded by an increasingly wary state? As Tanzania grapples with its relationship with digital expression, the world watches closely, pondering the deeper implications of this national discourse.

Tanzania’s journey through the complexities of digital freedom serves as a cautionary tale. In the face of mounting censorship, one hopes for a dialogue that values open expression over fear. After all, as George Washington once said, “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”