{"id":12642,"date":"2026-02-18T15:15:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T15:15:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=12642"},"modified":"2026-02-18T15:15:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T15:15:55","slug":"facebook-tiktok-suspended-in-gabon-under-regulators-order-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=12642","title":{"rendered":"Facebook, TikTok suspended in Gabon under regulator\u2019s order | News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Gabonese authorities impose indefinite social media blackout, citing risks to social cohesion and national stability.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><button class=\"article-listen-container\" aria-labelledby=\"listen-text listen-duration\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-button\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-listen-container__text\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-text\">Listen to this article<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"article-listen-container__duration\">3 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><svg class=\"icon icon--info icon--main-grey-dark icon--16 listen-to-article-tooltip__icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\"><title>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 18 Feb 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">18 Feb 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Facebook and TikTok have been suspended in Gabon \u201cuntil further notice\u201d after the Central African nation\u2019s media regulator accused social media platforms of publishing content that stokes conflict and divisions in society.<\/p>\n<p>AFP news agency reported on Wednesday that the two social media platforms were no longer available in Gabon. It wasn\u2019t immediately clear if other platforms were still operating or not.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Gabon\u2019s media regulator on Tuesday announced the suspensions, citing the risk of \u201cconflict-inducing excesses\u201d. It did not specify any social media platforms included in the ban.<\/p>\n<p>The decision came amid a<span style=\"font-size:22px\"> wave of social unrest with teachers on strike and other civil servants threatening to walk off their jobs, l<\/span>ess than a year after President Brice Oligui Nguema was elected.<\/p>\n<p>Teachers began striking over pay and conditions in December, and protests for similar demands have since spread to other public sectors, including health, higher education and broadcasting.<\/p>\n<p>The High Authority for Communication imposed \u201cthe immediate suspension of social media platforms in Gabon\u201d, its spokesman Jean-Claude Mendome said in a televised statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He said \u201cinappropriate, defamatory, hateful and insulting content\u201d was undermining \u201chuman dignity, public morality, the honour of citizens, social cohesion, the stability of the republic\u2019s institutions and national security\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The spokesman also cited the \u201cspread of false information\u201d, \u201ccyberbullying\u201d and \u201cunauthorised disclosure of personal data\u201d as reasons for the decision.<\/p>\n<p>Mendome said that although freedom of expression was guaranteed in Gabon, it \u201ccannot be exercised in flagrant violation of the national and international laws in force.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese actions are likely, in the case of Gabon, to generate social conflict, destabilise the institutions of the republic and seriously jeopardise national unity, democratic progress and achievements,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>In August 2023, President Ali Bongo Ondimba was ousted from power in a military coup. It was one of several on the west coast of Africa in recent years, including those in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.<\/p>\n<p>In November, Mali\u2019s media regulator suspended French broadcasters LCI and TF1, accusing them of airing false reports about a fuel blockade imposed by an al-Qaeda-linked armed group.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gabonese authorities impose indefinite social media blackout, citing risks to social cohesion and national stability. Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a03 mins info Published On 18 Feb 202618 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Facebook and TikTok have been suspended in Gabon \u201cuntil further notice\u201d after the Central African nation\u2019s media regulator [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}