EDITORIAL: Take legislators’ views on internet curbs seriously

Members of Parliament are of the view that there is a need for Tanzania to enact a law to guide restriction of the internet and telecommunications to prevent abuse and violation of people’s rights to communicate.

The law, they argue, should also stipulate situations where the President or any other government official could, unilaterally or through consultation with Parliament, restrict people’s rights to communicate.

MPs’ concerns have come as African governments are increasingly using internet restrictions as a weapon against the Opposition’s capacity to mobilize supporters, especially during elections. In Tanzania, for example, social media sites and SMS communication were restricted on the eve of the civic, parliamentary and presidential elections in October 2020.

Between 2016 and 2020, Twitter, a social platform widely used by outspoken opposition supporters to air their views, was repeatedly suspended. Though the government cited maintaining peace and security as the reason for the restriction, MPs say there must be some kind of legal mechanisms to guide the restrictions.

We concur with legislators and we urge the government to consider taking up the idea. We understand that MPs are not totally against the restrictions as there could be situations to justify it. But leaving such huge powers to only one person without any legal prerequisites is dangerous.

If declaring a state of emergency is guided by law, why not restrictions of the internet? One reason why the law must be enacted is because people’s rights for association and communication are enshrined in the Constitution, which should be duly followed.

In fact the Legal mechanisms can benefit the government in some ways. It would be possible to know whether any disruptions of the internet or telecommunications are by the government or are an attack against the telecommunication infrastructure by criminal elements.