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The government of Tanzania has officially confirmed it is blocking access to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), citing concerns over the platform’s allowance of pornographic material. Information Minister Jerry Silaa explained in a recent interview that the platform's content violates the East African country’s legal, cultural, and moral standards.

Silaa specifically pointed to X’s decision to permit the distribution of consensual adult content, including same-sex pornography, as a violation of Tanzania’s online content regulations.

Although the government has not confirmed a full shutdown, many Tanzanians have reported difficulty accessing X in recent weeks. The move comes at a time of increasing political tension, just months ahead of Tanzania’s presidential and parliamentary elections slated for October 2025.

Reacting to the news, the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), a prominent Tanzanian rights organization, criticized the government’s actions, describing them as part of a “troubling pattern of digital repression.” The group recalled that a similar ban was imposed on Twitter during the 2020 elections and said the repeated censorship raises “serious concerns about the openness of Tanzania’s digital space.”

Adding to public confusion is the fact that while the government confirms the restriction, public officials and institutions in Tanzania continue to use X to communicate, leading critics to label the approach inconsistent and hypocritical.

The decision to block X appears to have been triggered in part by a major security incident. On May 20, internet watchdog NetBlocks reported that X had become largely inaccessible in Tanzania after the official police account was hacked. The compromised account reportedly displayed pornographic content and falsely claimed that President Samia Suluhu Hassan had died.

Additionally, pornographic material was posted on the YouTube channel of the Tanzania Revenue Authority during the same period, further raising concerns about cybersecurity lapses across government-linked platforms.

The digital restrictions are unfolding against a backdrop of intensified crackdowns on opposition figures and civil society groups. Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu was recently detained on charges of treason after he threatened to lead a boycott of the upcoming election unless electoral reforms were enacted. He denies the charges, claiming they are politically motivated.

In a dramatic turn of events, East African activists who traveled to Tanzania to show support for Lissu also faced backlash from the government. Kenya’s former Justice Minister Martha Karua was deported shortly after arriving in Dar es Salaam.