Mauritius blocks social media until after elections amid wiretapping scandal

The island nation of Mauritius this week blocked social media for residents until after the upcoming elections following a recent wiretapping scandal.

On Friday, Mauritius’ government blocked access to social media sites, just days ahead of the November 10 parliamentary elections in which Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth is seeking a second term.

Announcing the directive, the national communications regulator said social media platforms would remain blocked until November 11, the day after the election.

Wiretapping scandal

The sweeping ban on social media follows a wiretapping scandal that rocked the country last month after recordings of conversations involving politicians, business leaders and members of civil society were leaked online.

Media freedom group Reporters Without Borders reported that recordings of conversations involving five prominent journalists were also leaked on social media.

“With the general elections just two weeks away, Mauritius has been rocked by a wiretapping scandal. Since October 18, about 20 conversations involving politicians, police officers, lawyers and members of civil society have been leaked on social media. Five well-known journalists have been affected by these leaks,” Reporters Without Borders said on its website.

The group’s message on the scandal added: “While Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, the country’s prime minister, and police have claimed that the audio clips were manipulated using artificial intelligence, the five journalists contacted by RSF confirmed the authenticity of the leaked conversations.”

The government of Mauritius, an Indian Ocean island nation of 1.2 million people, has labeled the leaks as a threat to national security and ordered the communications authority to suspend all access to social media.

Social media ban

On Friday, the Information and Communication Technology Authority (ICTA) issued a statement saying it “wishes to inform the public that, in response to concerns about illegal messages posing a serious threat to national security and public safety, has received guidelines dated October 31, 2024 directing all internet service providers to temporarily suspend access to all social media platforms until November 11, 2024.

Network provider EMTEL announced on Friday that it would comply with the government directive, warning that users will experience “progressive disruptions”.

“EMTEL understands the inconvenience this action will cause to its customers, but reiterates that it has no alternative but to comply with the ICTA directive,” EMTEL said.

Local media reported on Friday that the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement describing the social media suspension as essential to ensuring national security and preserving the country’s integrity.

The statement added that a crisis committee was actively meeting to address “existing risks.”

This article contains reporting from the Associated Press.