Civil rights in danger? Mauritius shuts down social media before election

The government of Mauritius is reacting sharply to a wiretapping scandal ahead of the parliamentary elections on November 10: it has blocked access to all major social networks for citizens of the island state in the southwest of the Indian Ocean. The national regulatory authority, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA), ordered the block for a period until November 11. According to the authority, the measure is intended to control the illegal publication of audio clips via social media and the internet, which could "threaten national security and public order".

Previously, intercepted communication recordings of politicians, businesspeople and representatives of civil society had been leaked via social media. Five well-known journalists were also affected, according to the organization Reporters Without Borders. Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and the police complained that the recorded conversations had been manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI) before being published. The head of government is currently fighting for re-election for the next five years and a majority for his party, the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM).

Democracy is being undermined

The British observatory NetBlocks has confirmed that several social media platforms in Mauritius are no longer accessible. Statistics published by it on Friday consistently show zero percent data traffic from the country's major network operators to service providers such as Facebook including Messenger, LinkedIn, Tiktok, YouTube and X. Telecommunications service provider Emtel previously stated that technicians were working on implementing the blocking regulation.

Members of the KeepItOn coalition urged the government of Mauritius on Friday to immediately end the ongoing shutdown of social media. The global network brings together over 334 human rights organizations from 105 countries. These include Access Now, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the International Press Center (IPC) and Reporters Without Borders. "Mauritius is known for its strong stance in upholding political and civil liberties and has always been classified as a free country," writes the alliance. "However, the targeted shutdown of key social media platforms shortly before the elections risks undermining human rights and the country's democratic progress."

Network operators are also criticized

Such blockades prevent "voters, journalists, the opposition and election observers from accessing or sharing important information", KeepItOn argues. This undermines the fairness, credibility and transparency of the elections. It would empower the incumbent government to "control reporting throughout the election period". The Mauritian constitution guarantees freedom of expression and access to information as fundamental human rights, it continues. This also applies to international agreements such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR).

Telecommunications companies also remind civil society organizations of their "duty to uphold human rights and take proactive action against rights-violating practices such as Internet shutdowns". They should therefore not comply with the order at all. The government must also ensure that Internet access is fully restored. In parallel, the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and the Internet Society warned that blocking digital platforms would not only stifle democratic processes, but also harm the economy.

(nen)