Tanzania shut down more than 80,000 websites, blogs, social media accounts and online platforms as part of the largest digital content purge in the country. The government claims the move is to protect children’s health, but also indicates a growing appetite for internet censorship.
Hamis Mwijuma told parliament on Monday that the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority had identified 80171 platforms that “publish unethical content which poses a threat to children’s health.”
Mwijuma responded to a question by Special Seats MP Ng’wasi Kamani about the government’s plan to control social media.
This crackdown is part of a larger state campaign that has evolved over the past decade. In 2017, Tanzania’s Parliament passed The Electronic and Postal Communications Regulations (Online Content)will be amended in 2020. These laws criminalise any content that is deemed indecent, obscene or hateful, as well as disruptive to the public order.
Offenders can face up to a year in prison or fines of TSH 5,000,000 ($1,858). The TCRA has broad powers to monitor social media, such as blogs and private accounts.
It’s not the first time that they do this. Emmanuel Chenze is the COO of African Uncensored a Kenyan investigative news company. “For a nation with such a long history, this news obviously is not a sign that progress has been made.”
On October 20, 2024, the government shut down the digital unit of Mwananchi Communications, a subsidiary to Nation Media Group. The video showed relatives searching for their missing loved ones. The main character looked like President Samia Hassan. TCRA stated that the video was a threat to public order and damaged Tanzania’s image. Mwananchi was suspended from using the internet for 30 days. Mwijuma,
said that the government was also training journalists and digital creators to detect false news and protect a “safe cultural environment for Tanzanian Children.”
However, critics claimthat the government uses child protection as a cover for a broader crackdown on dissent. There is no public information on how platforms are flagged or whether takedowns may be appealed.
Chenze said, “There is a thin line that separates the regulation of online content and outright gagging from cracking down on harmful content (to children). “The efforts made to achieve the former, including the passage of laws and extreme measures such as those taken by TCRA in this case, can easily lead towards the latter. Nothing prevents them from being weaponised to suppress dissenting voices. It continues to expand its power over online expression by deciding who can speak and what they can say.
