Tanzanian authorities restricted access to social media platform X on Wednesday following the hacking of an official police account, which was used to spread a false announcement about the president’s death, according to internet observatory NetBlocks.
The disruption occurred as concerns rose over the disappearance of two prominent activists, Kenya’s Boniface Mwangi and Uganda’s Agather Atuhaire, who were detained by Tanzanian police earlier in the week.
The pair had traveled to Tanzania to observe the treason trial of opposition figure Tundu Lissu, ahead of the country’s general elections set for October.
Access to X was reportedly only possible through the use of Virtual Private Networks, as noted by an AFP journalist on the ground.
“Live metrics show X (formerly Twitter) has become unreachable on major internet providers in #Tanzania; the incident comes as a compromised police account posts claims the President has died, angering the country’s leadership,” NetBlocks said in a statement released late Tuesday.
In parliament, Tanzania’s Minister of Information, Communications and Technology, Jerry William Silaa, acknowledged the breach.
He disclosed that the YouTube channel of the national tax authority was also affected.
“The reason these accounts were compromised is that their security protocols were not sufficiently robust. These accounts have since been restored,” Silaa stated.
Meanwhile, police announced a manhunt for those responsible for creating and distributing the fabricated information.
They also cautioned citizens against circulating the false claims.
