Gabon restores social media after eight-month ban
Gabon restored access to social media on Saturday, its media regulator said, after an eight-month suspension that sparked widespread criticism. The High Communication Authority (HAC) pulled the plug on social networks, including Facebook and TikTok, on February 17, blaming content posted online for stoking conflict and division in society. The crackdown came as Gabonese President […]
Gabon has restored access to social media platforms after an eight-month ban, according to the country's media regulator. The High Communication Authority (HAC) lifted the suspension on Saturday, following criticism that the social media shutdown had stoked conflict and division in Gabonese society. President Brice Oligui Nguema, who took office less than a year ago, faced unrest when the ban was implemented.
The HAC shut down Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp, while allowing WhatsApp access intermittently. VPNs helped some users circumvent the ban, with Proton reporting a 60,000-per-cent spike in VPN downloads the day after the ban took effect. The HAC said the ban was aimed at allowing the government to adapt its legal framework for better social media regulation, including requiring users to provide formal identification.
Critics, including former prime minister Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, slammed the ban as an abuse of power and an example of a repressive climate in Gabon, casting doubt on President Nguema's promise of democratic change following a 2023 coup that ended 55 years of Bongo family rule.
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