Social media blackout hits Mauritius days before crucial election
Mauritius govt blocks social-media access until after next weeks election due to leaked recordings scandal. Opposition and civil groups say ban hurts democracy and business operations
The govt of Mauritius has shut-down social media platforms across the island nation until 11/10/24‚ sparking wide-spread debate about democratic freedoms. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority made this decision after secret recordings appeared online
In mid-october‚ about twenty private conversations (involving high-ranking officials police and journalists) leaked onto social platforms. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth the prime minister – who took office when his father stepped down about 7 years ago – says these recordings were made using AI tech
The opposition leader Navin Ramgoolam sees the social-media ban as a last-ditch effort to keep power:
The govt knows its losing and now uses any means to stay in control
Local business groups arent happy with the decision; the effects are already visible. EMTEL one of three telecom companies says user-access is getting worse by the hour. The Internet Society and Internet Governance Forum point out that this hurts both companies and peoples access to info
Political expert Jocelyn Chan Low thinks the wire-tapping issue will affect voting results. Its worth noting that Jugnauthʼs leadership faced questions before – last year a British court had to confirm his previous win after claims of election wrongdoing
- Internet providers must block social platforms
- Crisis team works on managing security risks
- Ban stays active until day after election
- About 20 private talks got leaked online
The whole situation comes at a critical time – just days before the nov-10 general election where Jugnauthʼs Militant Socialist Movement tries to keep its parliament majority
