Facebook parent company Meta has confirmed that it blocked the accounts of prominent Tanzanian activists Maria Sarungi-Tsehai and Mange Kimambi on its other platform, Instagram.
This comes at a time when the company is facing growing criticism after disabling the accounts of the two activists and restricting access to others within Tanzania.
The move has sparked outrage among digital rights advocates, who accuse Meta of aiding President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration in silencing the issues addressed by the people of Tanzania following the post-election violence witnessed in the East African nation in October.
While confirming the blocking of Sarungi’s account on Thursday, a Meta Spokesperson said the action followed a legal order from the Tanzanian government.
The company also told CNN’s Larry Madowo that activist Mange Kimambi was banned from Instagram and WhatsApp for repeatedly violating its rules.
Statement for Mange Kimambi question:
“While we believe freedom of expression is a fundamental right and that our platforms should be a place where users around the world can exercise this right, we have strict rules about what is and isn’t allowed on our platforms. These Instagram accounts were removed for violating our recidivism policy. We don’t allow people to create new accounts that are similar to those we’ve previously removed for violating our Community Standards.”
Statement for Maria Sarungi question:
“We believe freedom of expression is a fundamental right and that our platforms should be a place where users around the world can exercise this right. Following a legal order from Tanzanian regulators, we have restricted access to this Instagram account in Tanzania in response to regulatory demands.”
Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates.
