Gabon suspends social media “until further notice”
In today's edition of Techpoint Digest, we look at Gabon suspending social media, Naritive transforming advertisements into interactive experiences, and Kenya MPs pushing harder to regulate TikTok.
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Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
Gabon suspends social media “until further notice”
Naritive turns ads into interactive experiences
Kenya MPs push harder to regulate TikTok
Gabon suspends social media “until further notice”
Photo by Adem AY on Unsplash
Gabon just pulled the plug on social media, and people woke up yesterday to platforms like Facebook and TikTok hard to reach or completely blocked. The country’s media regulator, the High Authority for Communication (HAC), announced on Tuesday evening that all social media platforms are suspended “until further notice”, blaming online content for fuelling conflict and deepening divisions in the country.
In a televised statement, HAC spokesperson Jean-Claude Mendome pointed to the spread of false information, rising cyberbullying, and unauthorised leaks of personal data as the main reasons for the decision. He painted a picture of social feeds as dangerous territory that “undermines social cohesion, national stability and security.” While he didn’t name platforms, most Gabonese regularly use WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, which are now effectively off limits for many users.
So what does this mean for everyday life? A lot. Social media isn’t just entertainment in Gabon; it’s a key tool for business, especially for younger people and small enterprises. One Libreville restaurant owner told the BBC that nearly 40% of his customers came because they saw his posts online, a lifeline many businesses now risk losing. Without social feeds, promotion, reviews and word-of-mouth all shrink overnight.
The backdrop to this digital blackout is political tension. Gabon is led by General Brice Oligui Nguema, who took power in a 2023 coup and then won a presidential election in 2025 with over 90% of the vote. Since then, the country has seen growing unrest, including strikes by teachers and civil servants over pay and working conditions and protests that often bubbled up on social media b...
