The Tanzanian government has ordered all unregistered bloggers to suspend their websites immediately or face criminal prosecution.
Several sites and online forums in the country were forced to temporarily shut down after the state-run Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority warned it would take legal action against them.
Regulations passed in March made it compulsory for bloggers and owners of other online forums such as YouTube channels to register with the government and pay up to $900 for a licence. Per capita income in Tanzania is slightly below N324,900 a year.
The Government claimed that the new rules are aimed at tackling hate speech and other online crimes, including cyberbullying and pornography.
The regulator, which was issued on Monday stated that: “All unregistered online content providers must be licensed before June 15. Starting from today June 11 until June 15, they are prohibited from posting any new content on their blogs, forums or online radios and televisions.”
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