As people in Tanzania head to cast ballots for local elections on November 27, 2024, the #KeepItOn coalition is demanding that the government and all internet service providers (ISPs) in the country ensure unhindered access to the internet and digital platforms before, during, and after the elections.
Access to the internet is vital, particularly during election periods, to ensure that everyone gets a free and fair chance to participate in democracy and exercise their rights. By cutting off access to essential information during elections, authorities put at risk the credibility and transparency of the electoral mandate — hurting people’s rights and weakening democracy.Felicia Anthonio, #KeepItOn Campaign Manager at Access Now
Over the past years, Tanzanian authorities have repeatedly disrupted connectivity during key national events. During the 2020 general elections, authorities blocked digital platforms, restricting people’s ability to participate and setting a dangerous precedent. In August 2024 itself, several ISPs blocked access to X for close to 24 hours, without explanation, as activists campaigned online about reports of murders, kidnappings, and disappearances in the country.
The alarming trend of heightening censorship and a worsening human rights record cast a long shadow on the upcoming elections in the country, and the authorities must commit to ensuring uninterrupted services to ensure compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political, the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, and African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights’ resolution.
Authorities in Tanzania must fulfill their commitment under international and regional legal frameworks to safeguard people’s rights by ensuring access to open and safe internet during upcoming elections. Internet service providers operating in the country have an obligation to prevent human rights abuse and must resist pressure to block access to digital platforms – they must at all times #KeepItOn.Zaituni Njovu, Executive Director at Zaina Foundation
To respect people’s mandate, authorities must ensure transparency, inclusiveness, accountability, and connectivity during the upcoming elections. As part of the #KeepItOn coalition’s advocacy against election-related shutdowns, Access Now and over 65 civil society organizations, urge President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan to:
- Publicly assure the people of Tanzania that the internet, including social media and other digital communication platforms, will remain open, accessible, inclusive, and secure before, during, and after the election.
- Call upon the respective institutions and authorities to refrain from ordering any disruption of telecommunications services, social media platforms, or other digital communication platforms.
- Ensure that telecommunications and ISPs implement all necessary measures to provide high-quality, secure, unrestricted, and uninterrupted internet access throughout the election period and beyond.
- Ensure that telecommunications and ISPs inform people in Tanzania of any potential technical disruptions during the elections, and take all reasonable steps to remedy any such disruptions.
At the time of publication, Access Now has not received any acknowledgment or response from the Government of Tanzania or ISPs in response to the letter, sent on November 8, 2024.