With the passing of the Electronic and Postal Communications Act that was written in 2017, the government of Tanzania has essentially been given the power to police anything posted on the internet. The laws included in the act include fining citizens $2,000 for not having a pin on their device as well as exorbitant fees to start a blog. Even better, authorities still reserve the right to revoke a permit if a site publishes content that “causes annoyance, threatens harm or evil, encourages or incites crimes” or jeopardizes “national security or public health and safety”. Many activists around the globe are upset at the language used in the act calling it ambiguous and invasive. With the government clamping down on media under the rule of President John Magufuli, the world will have to wait and see if this act is a standalone attempt to control media or if this has larger implications for the Tanzanian people and the region as a whole.
