Gabon Shuts Down Social Media as Threat to National Security

The Central African nation of Gabon on Wednesday announced it was suspending some social media platforms for spreading “inappropriate, defamatory, hateful, and abusive” content that was allegedly threatening “social cohesion, the stability of the republic’s institutions, and national security.”

Gabon’s High Authority for Communications (HAC) said the social media block would be imposed “immediately” and would last until “further notice” but did not list the offending platforms or make specific allegations against them.

Internet monitoring group NetBlocks, which tracks efforts by governments around the world to suppress online communications, detected a significant loss of connectivity in Gabon to YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and WhatsApp.

NetBlocks also noted an enormous surge in the number of Gabonese using Virtual Private Network (VPN) services, which are often employed to get around government censorship efforts. Google saw a growing number of search requests for information about VPNs from Gabon, while the popular platform Proton VPN said signups from Gabon increased by over sixty thousand percent.

Proton VPN General Manager David Peterson noted that Gabon has endured partial Internet shutdowns during “politically sensitive periods” before, so many residents were ready to start using VPN work-arounds as soon as the HAC announced the latest blockade.

Gabon is currently ruled by Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema, who seized power in a coup in 2023 and claimed to win 90 percent of the vote in the April 2025 presidential election. Nguema’s rule has grown more authoritarian and paranoid since then, as the national economy declines and social unrest increases.

The BBC on Wednesday reported the social media ban came as a “shock” to most Gabonese, as they are avid users of social platforms, and many of them rely on services like Facebook to run their businesses.

“Almost 40 percent of my customers decided to order or come to the restaurant after seeing our advertising on social media,” one restaurant owner complained. “I won’t be able to catch new customers because clients are attracted by what they are seeing, reviews from friends, pictures.”

Some observers suspected the Nguema government was worried about a teacher strike that began in December and is threatening to spread to other industries. Others pointed to protests against the high cost of living that began around the same time as the teachers went on strike. Such protests are likely to grow even more fervent if the social media blackout damages the already weak economy.