Tanzania has taken action to restrict access to the social media site X, claiming that it permits pornographic content, according to Information Minister Jerry Silaa.
Mr. Silaa claimed that the material on X is against the nation’s “laws, culture, customs, and traditions” in an interview with a local television station.
Although there hasn’t been a complete closure of the platform yet, Tanzanians have stated that access to X has been restricted in the last two weeks due to political tensions and the hacking of the police account.
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.
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.
The shutdown comes amid criticisms of a severe crackdown on the opposition ahead of elections in October.
Social media shutdowns have been reported during past election periods.
Silaa said Tanzania was monitoring content on other online platforms deemed to be in breach of the country’s laws.
