Gabon restores social media after eight-month ban
Gabon has lifted an eight-month ban on social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok, which were restricted following social unrest. The government now requires users to provide formal identification to access these platforms, effectively ending online anonymity.
Why it matters
The move highlights the ongoing tension between digital freedom and state control in post-coup African nations, setting a precedent for identity-linked social media usage.
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 Brice Oligui Nguema faced a wave of social unrest less than a year after his election.
"The HAC has decided to lift the suspension of social media platforms," spokesman Jean-Claude Franck Mendome said in a statement read on television.
Facebook and TikTok, the most-used platforms in the central African nation, as well as YouTube and Instagram were shut down, while WhatsApp was on and off.
Some people still managed to access social networks via a VPN, with provider Proton reporting a 60,000-percent increase in downloads of its VPN tool the day after the ban came into force.
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