#PatchTuesday
Internet Restored In Zimbabwe After Protests
Internet was restored in the Zimbabwe on Wednesday after the government cut services for 48 hours on the eve of protests against fuel prices hikes. Zimbabwe joined a short list of nations who have resorted to shutting down the internet in order to interrupt communications of citizens in an attempt to choke dissent or to stop news of the government crackdown from spreading.
Internet has been restored but social media websites have been blocked which are mainly WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
The country’s largest telecoms company Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, confirmed Wednesday that the government ordered suspension of the internet across all networks after violent protests against the embattled administration.
“Further to a warrant issued by the Minister of State in the President’s Office for National Security through the Director General of the President’s Dept (sic) acting in terms of the Interception of Communications Act, Internet Services are currently suspended across all networks and Internet Service providers. We are obliged to act when directed to do so and the matter is beyond our control. All inconveniences are sincerely regretted.” Econet said in a statement.
The government claimed that it was innocent and had played no role in the disruption of internet. Other countries which have disrupted the Internet include, Cameroon and more recently the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Pardon has been a technology enthusiast his entire life and has spent the better part of last decades in information technology and security, and he writes with an aim to remove some of the "mysticism" from the cyber world. He’s the Editor at Techunzipped. Away from the keyboard, you're likely to find him playing with the latest gadgets or the latest Game.
