KIGALI (Rwanda), Oct 26 (Bernama-Anadolu) — Gabonese authorities lifted the ban on social media networks in the central African country after eight months, according to a Saturday statement by the regulator, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
The High Authority for Communication (HAC) imposed the ban on major social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram in February, citing online abuse, a move that sparked widespread condemnation.
The regulator blamed content posted online for undermining national security and social cohesion. It accused internet users of disseminating defamatory, hateful, false and insulting content via social media platforms.
“The HAC has decided to lift the suspension of social media platforms,” spokesman Jean Claude Mendome said in the statement. The suspension aimed to “allow the government to adapt its legal framework to better regulate social media,” he added.
The ban, which was announced amid anti-government protests over the high cost of living, came under criticism from activists who described it as an attack on internet freedom.
To get around the restriction, thousands of citizens are said to have turned to virtual private networks, or VPNs.
Mendome said lifting the ban followed direct discussions with major international technology companies on mechanisms to improve moderation on the platforms.
HAC urged users to be “more responsible and mature in their online exchanges and behaviours in order to contribute to a healthier, more constructive digital environment that is more respectful of the rights of others.”
A new regulation passed in February requires social media users to provide verified names, addresses and ID numbers.
The Central African country of Gabon is ruled by Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema, who seized power in a 2023 coup that ended 55 years of rule by the Bongo family. He won a presidential election last April but faced a wave of social unrest less than a year after his election.
— BERNAMA-ANADOLU