Tanzania announces shutdown of X because of pornography

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.

• Kenyan activist speaks of 'sexual torture' in Tanzania
• Ugandan activist alleges she was raped in Tanzanian custody

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.

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, AFP news agency 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.

Kenya's former Justice Minister Martha Karua was among those deported after arriving at the international airport in Tanzania's main city Dar es Salaam, ahead of a court appearance by Lissu.

He denies the treason charge, saying the case is political.

Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Uganda's Agather Atuhaire were allowed to enter, but were then detained for several days.

After returning home, Atuhaire told the BBC that she had been blindfolded, "violently" stripped and sexually assaulted.

On Monday, Mwangi said he too had been sexually abused in detention and was told by his torturers to say "asante" (thank you in the Swahili language) to their president.

Dar es Salaam's police chief denied the allegations, saying they were "opinions" and "hearsay".

Regional rights groups have called for an investigation, and Amnesty International said Tanzanian authorities should hold to account those responsible for the "inhuman" treatment.

President Samia has said that her government will not tolerate activists from other East African states "meddling" in Tanzania's affairs and causing "chaos".

She inherited the presidency following the 2020 death 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.

The government says Tanzania is a stable democracy, and the poll will be free and fair.