Gabon has officially restored access to social media after shutting it down for eight months.
The country’s media regulator, the High Authority of Communication (HAC), announced the decision on Saturday. The ban had been in place since February 17 and blocked Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, while WhatsApp was frequently disrupted.
Authorities originally cut the platforms, saying they were full of hate speech, fake news, insults, and content that threatened national security and social peace. During the ban, many people simply used VPNs to get around it.
The HAC says it is now lifting the suspension because the government has put new laws in place to regulate social media, including rules that require users to identify themselves. The regulator also says it has reached working agreements with TikTok, Meta, and YouTube that give it better tools to report and remove illegal content.
In its statement, the HAC asked Gabonese users to behave more responsibly online. While the ban is officially over, it is not yet clear how quickly full access will return across the country.
The eight-month blackout was widely criticized by businesses, content creators, and free-speech advocates. It came less than a year after President Brice Oligui Nguema took office.
