It’s a sad day in Tanzania after Jamii Forum blog announced that they will shut down their operations.The website made the announcement today morning following the government’s directive that bloggers must pay Ksh90,000 if they wish to continue operating.
The blog’s announcement read:
“Kutokana na notisi iliyotolewa na Mamlaka ya Mawasiliano Tanzania(TCRA) leo Juni 10, 2018 inayotoa muda mfupi wa kututaka kusitisha utoaji huduma mara kabla ya Juni 11, 2018, tunalazimika kutii mamlaka na hivyo huduma hii haitapatikana kwa muda wakati tukifanya jitihada za kuhakikisha huduma inarejea.
Maudhui ya notisi ya TCRA yanapatikana hapa: https://goo.gl/6tnBhR
Kwa wateja wetu walio nchi nyingine, huduma hii itarejea mapema zaidi lakini kwa walio Tanzania kurejea kwa huduma kutategemeana na matokeo ya hatma ya jitihada za wawakilishi wetu walio Tanzania.
Tunasikitika kuwa tunalazimika kufikia hatua hii ghafla lakini ni matumaini yetu kuwa wateja wetu mtaendelea kuwa wavumilivu katika kipindi hiki”
Jamii Forum is currently ranked the most popular blog in Tanzania and at position 10,000 globally.
Earlier this year, Tanzania introduced several regulations to govern the blogging industry. The regulations give government the right to revoke a permit if a site publishes content that is considered to be ‘indecent, obscene, hate speech, extreme violence or material that will offend or incite others, cause annoyance, threaten, or encourage or incite crime, or lead to public disorder’.
Online content providers will also be required to remove ‘prohibited content’ within 12 hours or face fines not less than five million shillings ($2,210) or a year in prison.
Compulsory passwords on mobile phones
The new regulations also require all Tanzanians with mobile devices to have a password (PIN) for locking their phones, with defaulters being fined up to 5 million Tanzanian Shillings (approximately $2,000) or 12 months imprisonment, or both depending on what the court decides.
Internet cafés and online platforms are also expected to install surveillance cameras to record and archive activities inside their business premises.
