Tech giant Meta has revealed that Tanzanian authorities threatened to block Facebook and Instagram nationwide if the company refused to delete posts and accounts critical of the government during the recent election period.
Transparency report details pressure from TCRA
The disclosure appears in Meta’s latest transparency report released this week. It shows how the Tanzanian Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) issued formal takedown demands for several Instagram accounts and posts, claiming violations of a long list of laws that include the 1977 Constitution, the 2015 Cybercrimes Act, media regulations, national security statutes, child protection rules and personal data legislation.
In one case, the TCRA demanded the blocking of three Instagram accounts that carried calls for peaceful protests and government criticism. Regulators warned that failure to comply would lead to all Meta platforms being shut down across Tanzania.
Meta quoted the regulator as stating that non-compliance carried the risk of “blocking Meta’s platforms in Tanzania”.
Meta’s response to the threats
Faced with the ultimatum, Meta removed two items that breached its own Community Standards and temporarily restricted one item inside Tanzania while notifying the affected user.
A separate demand in October 2025 targeted 17 posts by a United States-based user. The content reportedly contained corruption allegations against President Samia Suluhu Hassan and calls for peaceful protests ahead of the 29 October vote. The TCRA again threatened a total platform blockade. Meta eventually removed two posts for standards violations and restricted the remaining 15 inside Tanzania.
Activists’ accounts restricted or removed
The report was published only 24 hours after Meta confirmed it had restricted or removed the Instagram accounts of prominent Tanzanian activists Maria Sarungi Tsehai and Mange Kimambi.
On 4 December, a Meta spokesperson said Sarungi’s account was geographically restricted in Tanzania “following a legal order from Tanzanian regulators”. Kimambi’s multiple accounts were permanently deleted under the company’s recidivism policy, which bars users from creating new profiles after repeated serious violations.
“We believe freedom of expression is a fundamental right,” the spokesperson said, but stressed that the company must enforce strict rules and sometimes comply with valid legal orders.
Backlash over post-election crackdown
Rights groups and opposition supporters have accused Meta of helping the government silence dissent at a time when hundreds, possibly thousands, of people are feared dead in post-election violence.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared winner with over 97% of the vote in polls boycotted by the main opposition and widely condemned for irregularities and intimidation. The United States has since launched a review of relations with Tanzania over safety concerns for its citizens.
Maria Sarungi Tsehai, founder of the #ChangeTanzania movement, says she was abducted in Kenya earlier this year in an operation she blames on Tanzanian security agents. Mange Kimambi, who has millions of followers from her base in the United States, moved from celebrity gossip to full-time political activism in mid-2025.
Many Tanzanians are now shifting to platforms such as TikTok, while others demand international pressure on both the government and Meta.
The episode underlines the difficult position of global tech firms in countries tightening digital controls. For Tanzania, once regarded as a haven of relative stability in East Africa, the crisis risks further harming its reputation amid deep domestic unrest.
As the post-election turmoil continues, the fight over online speech in Tanzania shows no sign of ending.
