On Wednesday, Tanzanian authorities blocked access to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after a police account was hacked and used to spread false claims about the president’s death. This incident, reported by NetBlocks, took place during heightened political unrest, with the disappearance of two activists, Boniface Mwangi from Kenya and Agather Atuhaire from Uganda, who were arrested by Tanzanian police earlier in the week. Both activists were in Tanzania to attend the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who faces charges ahead of the country’s upcoming elections in October.
Tanzanians could not access X through local internet providers, with reports indicating that the platform could only be reached via Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). According to NetBlocks, the incident was triggered by the compromise of a police account that posted misleading information about the president’s death, which provoked public outrage and angered the government.
The country’s Minister of Information, Communications, and Technology, Jerry William Silaa, confirmed the breach in parliament, noting that the security protocols on the affected accounts were inadequate. He also revealed that the YouTube account of Tanzania’s tax authority had been infiltrated. Both accounts have since been restored. In response, Tanzanian police vowed to track down the individuals responsible for the hack and warned citizens against spreading the false rumors.
