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Following political tensions and a hack of the police’s social media account, Tanzania has restricted access to platform X, the information minister confirmed. Jerry Silaa stated that the platform allows pornographic content that contradicts the country's laws and cultural norms. Despite these restrictions over the past two weeks, the platform has not been entirely blocked.
A Tanzanian rights group posted on X that Silaa's comments reflected a "troubling pattern of digital repression" ahead of October's presidential and parliamentary elections.
Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan's government has been accused of becoming increasingly repressive as it campaigns to remain in office.
In its post, the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) said that X, then known as Twitter, faced a similar shutdown in the run-up to the 2020 election, and the "recurrence" of restrictions raised "serious concerns about the openness of digital space" in Tanzania.
It said it was troubling that while the minister confirmed the government's role in blocking X, government officials and public institutions continued to use the platform.
"This inconsistency confuses the public and undermines the credibility of the government's position," LHRC added.
In his interview, Silaa linked the ban to X's announcement last year that it would no longer block "consensually produced and distributed" adult content.
The minister was quoted as saying that X has "permitted explicit sexual material, including same-sex pornographic content" in breach of Tanzania's online "ethics guidelines.
On 20 May, internet watchdog Netblocks reported that Tanzania had blocked X following reports that the official police account had been hacked, showing pornographic material and falsely claiming that the president had died.
Pornographic content also appeared on the hacked YouTube account of the tax authority, authorities reported.
It is unclear who carried out the hacking, but it coincided with a government crackdown on Kenyan and Ugandan human rights campaigners who had gone to Tanzania to show solidarity with main opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
He has been detained on a charge of treason after he said he would spearhead a campaign to boycott the elections if the laws were not changed to allow for a free and fair poll. He denies the treason charge, saying the case is political.
Suluhu Inherited the presidency following the death in 2021 of then-President John Magufuli, and was widely praised for allowing greater political freedom.
But her critics say she is showing the same authoritarian tendencies as Magufuli as she prepares to contest her first election as the ruling party's presidential candidate.
