TANZANIA has decided to block access to social media platform X because it allows pornographic content to be shared, the information minister has said.
The content was contrary to the East African state’s “laws, culture, customs, and traditions,” Jerry Silaa told a local TV station.
Tanzanians have reported that access to X has been restricted in the last two weeks after political tensions rose and the police account was hacked, but there has not yet been a total shutdown of the platform.
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.
The popular social audio app Clubhouse and messaging service Telegram are also inaccessible without the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPN), the rights group added.
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.
“Even on YouTube, you might notice that some content is inaccessible. That’s part of our broader effort to protect consumers and ensure that all online platforms operating in our country comply with our laws,” Silaa said.
