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   Widespread internet shutdown reported in Tanzania during general election   
   here's everything we know   
      
   Date:   
   Thu, 30 Oct 2025 16:55:26 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Internet access has been severely restricted across Tanzania during a tense   
   general election. The blackout, confirmed by watchdog groups, is part of a   
   growing global trend of governments using internet shutdowns to control   
   information.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   Tanzania is currently experiencing a major internet shutdown that coincides   
   with its highly contentious general election.    
      
    Reports from across the country, later confirmed by internet monitoring    
   group NetBlocks, show that connectivity has been severely degraded, with   
   access to popular social media platforms and messaging services like X   
   (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp, and Instagram being completely blocked for many   
   users. #Tanzania is experiencing a near-complete #Internet outage amidst   
   election day protests. Traffic began falling around 09:30 UTC (12:30 local),   
   now over 90% lower than the previous week.   
      
   The disruption began as polls opened and has continued as post-election   
   tensions rise. The shutdown has created an information vacuum, making it   
   incredibly difficult for journalists, election monitors, and citizens to   
   communicate and share information about the electoral process and the    
   protests that have erupted in some regions. This blackout comes as the   
   government has reportedly deployed the army to quell the spreading unrest.    
      
   This move to control the flow of information is a tactic increasingly seen   
   around the world, particularly during times of political instability. By   
   restricting access to the digital world, authorities can stifle dissent,   
   prevent protesters from organizing, and control the narrative by limiting the   
   spread of independent, on-the-ground reporting.   
      
   A familiar tactic on a global scale   
      
   The situation in Tanzania is not an isolated incident but rather part of a   
   worrying global trend of governments resorting to internet shutdowns as a    
   tool of control.    
      
   Digital rights organizations have documented numerous cases where national   
   connectivity is throttled or completely cut off during elections, protests,    
   or periods of civil unrest. Commenting on this instance of a complete   
   shutdown, Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty Internationals Regional Director for East   
   and Southern Africa, said:    
      
   "A reported nationwide internet disruption in Tanzania threatens to further   
   inflame the situation. The authorities must allow unrestricted access to   
   information both online and offline by ensuring full internet access and   
   allowing local and international media to report freely on the election. The   
   authorities have a constitutional responsibility to respect the human rights   
   of all before, during, and after the elections.   
      
   "The authorities have a constitutional responsibility to respect the human   
   rights of all"    
      
    -- Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty Internationals Regional Director for East and   
   Southern Africa    
      
   A similar, though even more extreme, situation was seen recently when   
   Afghanistan completely shut down its internet .    
      
   In that case, the blackout was so total that not even the use of the best VPN   
   services could provide a workaround for citizens, effectively cutting the   
   entire nation off from the outside world.    
      
   While VPNs are often effective at bypassing censorship and content-specific   
   blocks, they are powerless against a complete network shutdown where the core   
   internet infrastructure is disabled.    
      
   The events in Tanzania and Afghanistan highlight the critical importance of a   
   free and open internet, especially during moments of national significance.    
      
   Once a government decides to pull the plug, citizens are left isolated,   
   vulnerable, and in the dark. Such actions restrict access to vital   
   information, limit communication with the outside world, and undermine the   
   fundamental rights of expression and assembly, often with devastating social   
   consequences.    
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/widespread-internet-shutdow   
   n-reported-in-tanzania-during-general-election-heres-everything-we-know   
      
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