Social media like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Viber have been blocked in Chad several days ago. Besides that BBC’s news site was also blocked. How to unblock social media in Chad fast and simple?
The best solution to access blocked websites in using a VPN – virtual private network. This is safe and reliable way to avoid Internet censorship.
“Unfortunately, the Chadian regime is used to shutting down telecommunications, [the] internet in particular, whenever there are demonstrations or public expression of people’s discontent towards the government,”
says Julie Owono, the executive director of IWB. Owono said the government might have instituted the blackout after videos of clashes within president Deby’s own Zaghawa clan were shared on WhatsApp. Authorities also didn’t respond to IWB’s request on why they blocked the BBC’s online site.
The current shutdown comes just days after advocacy groups submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council detailing evidence of breaching freedom of expression, access to information, and the right to privacy. The violations included the January internet blackout ahead of demonstrations organized by civil society organizations, besides the eight-month social media cutoff following controversial elections in 2016. IWB estimates all these blackouts combined cost the Chadian economy €18 million ($22.1 million).
Yet Chad is hardly the only African government shutting down the internet or blocking messaging apps: nine African countries did so last year ahead of elections, political protests or national exams.