As if the world needed yet another example of governmental censorship, Gan is taking things to a new level. Ever since President Ali Bongo was elected at the end of August, the situation has been tense in the country. Internet access was completely impossible for four whole days. Ever since things were restored, connectivity remains very limited at best.
Internet Access In Gabon After Business Hours
Having four full days of no Internet connectivity would drive most Western people completely mad. In Gabon, that is not entirely uncommon, as the government is enforcing tight censorship when it comes to the Internet Even now, users can only go online between 6 PM and 6 AM every day.
To make matters worse, social media services are entirely blocked at any given time of day. This means Gabon residents cannot access Facebook, Twitter, or WhatsApp directly. Using a VPN or Tor to bypass this blockade is possible, although it remains unknown if many people are willing to go through the trouble.
As was to be expected, the Gabon government denies any allegation regarding the four-day Internet blockade. This seems to be a rather strange approach, as multiple sources claimed it was impossible to get online during that period. By the look of things, censorship of Internet can have serious ramifications.
Gabon is not the only country in the world causing irregularities where Internet access is concerned. Access Now already discovered 40 different incidents across 25 countries during the year 2016. A lot of African countries seem to black out the Internet during elections or public protest, effectively censoring the people from speaking their mind to the rest of the world.
Psiphon, a company providing solutions to bypass internet blockages, has seen a strong uptick in its user base. The number of users in Gabon increased for nearly zero to several thousand in the past two weeks. It remains to be seen how long those services will be accessible to residents, though.
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