10 African Countries That Banned Social Media in 2021

Africa is the world’s most censored region, with ten countries shutting down social media this year.

According to cybersecurity firm Surfshark, social media censorship cases worldwide decreased by 35% this year, from 29 in 2020 to 19 in 2021. Despite a significant decrease in cases, internet outages impacted approximately a quarter of a billion people. In 17 countries, social media or complete internet shutdowns were recorded, with two incidents in Russia and Iran. According to the annual report, Africa is the most censored region in the world, accounting for nearly 53% of all cases in 2021.

The vast majority of social media outages occurred during political events such as protests (37% of the time) or elections (21 percent ).

Even though censorship rates were lower in 2021, they followed a similar pattern to the previous year. Apps such as WhatsApp, Skype, Facebook Messenger, Viber, and platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were frequently shut down. Furthermore, the vast majority of social media shutdown cases were political in nature:

• Seven cases (37%) affected countries suffering from protests (Burkina Faso, South Sudan, Senegal, Iran, Russia, Cuba, and Columbia).

• Four cases (21%) affected countries during the presidential elections (Congo, Uganda, Zambia, and Russia).

• The remaining eight cases (44%) occurred during general political turmoil (Chad, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sudan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Iran, and Myanmar).

In comparison, six of the 29 social media restriction cases ordered in 2020 occurred during elections, and the remaining eight occurred during various protests.

“In terms of politics, 2021 has proven to be more stable than 2020, though it is still far from ideal.” Countries, on the other hand, appear to be unafraid to use social media in times of political upheaval. This is particularly true in Africa and Asia. And, while there were fewer social media bans this year, it remains to be seen whether the trend will continue in 2022 and beyond,” says Vytautas Kaziukonis, CEO of Surfshark.

In times of political turmoil and a global pandemic, incidents hampered communication for millions of people. According to Surfshark’s research, the blockings affected 250 million people.

This year, Africa became the world’s most censored continent, accounting for ten (nearly 53 percent) of all cases in 2021. Its shutdowns were also the most contentious:

• Africa led the social media shutdown numbers during election days (3 out of 4 total cases were in Congo, Uganda, and Zambia).
• Chad blocked the internet following a raid at the property of Yaya Dillo, a representative of Chad’s government opposition. This event took place on February 28th, around two months before the presidential election.

• Ethiopia claimed their social media blackout was due to leaked 12-grade exam papers. However, most people believe the internet was blocked when rebel forces claimed to have seized strategic towns.