WATCH THE VIDEO HERE The government of Tanzania has blocked citizens from social media platform X on Wednesday after a police account was hacked and used to falsely announce the president’s death. According to a tweet by NetBlocks, a real-time network data analyser that confirmed the shutdown, X became unreachable across major Tanzanian internet providers. The ban also follows similar government action in August 2024, when authorities also took X offline after the arrest of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Don’t miss out on any real-time information. Join our WhatsApp group to stay updated. .. “Live metrics show X (formerly Twitter) has become unreachable on major internet providers in #Tanzania; the incident comes as a compromised police account posts claims the President has died, angering the country’s leadership,” NetBlocks said in a post. This comes amid a hack on the official TANPOL X account, which reportedly angered the country’s leadership, prompting President Suluhu to instruct police to “protect social media” earlier this week. There, she stressed the importance of safeguarding national interests in the digital sphere. Tanzania’s Minister of Information, Communications and Technology Jerry William Silaa confirmed the hack in parliament, adding that the YouTube account of the country’s tax authority was also infiltrated. “The reason these accounts were compromised is that their security protocols were not sufficiently robust. These accounts have since been restored,” Silaa said. Police said they were hunting “the criminals who created and distributed the information” and warned the public against sharing the false messages. Before the attack, Tanzania had been under political struggles and a tense atmosphere. Tundu Lissu, a major opposition figure who survived an assassination attempt in 2017, has been arrested again and charged with treason. Also, his political party, Chadema, has been barred from participating in the upcoming October 2025 presidential election. The situation became more tense when Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan attorney Agather Atuhaire were detained by Tanzanian authorities. While a journalist confirmed speaking to Mwangi’s wife, who stated her husband had not yet been deported, their whereabouts have remained unknown. According to reports, both individuals were in the country on what appears to be civil society work. .. ... ... ... Join Our Social Media Channels:
Tanzania shuts down X after hackers falsely announce president’s death with police account
