Tanzania's Plan to Charge Bloggers a $930 License Fee Has Been Halted
The infamous plan has been put on hold by the country's High Court.
UPDATE 5/4/18:
The Tanzanian government's harsh internet regulation plan has been halted after bloggers and human right's activists won a temporary injunction on Friday against the government's plan to charge online content creators a $930 fee to publish online.
The original plan was set to go into effect today.
The High Court of Tanzania says it will explain why it issued the injunction on May 10, reports BBC Africa.
The court document was shared this morning by organization Change Tanzania on Twitter.
Read on for previous updates:
The Tanzanian government continues to crackdown on online content creators with added restrictions to its internet regulation policy.
The government introduced the Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations 2018 earlier this month. The act will require online publishers to pay a fee to operate in the country. Bloggers, online publishers, radio outlets and other online content creators must pay a $930 fee before publishing content. In a statement released earlier today, the state-owned Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) noted a May 5 deadline for applicants to submit their paper work.
The lengthy form asks applicants to list tax information, share capital, investments and more detailed information. A copy was shared via social media.
The regulations also prohibits content that the government believes "causes annoyance or leads to public disorder." Internet cafes will also be required to install surveillance cameras on their premises, reports CNN.
To many, these actions highlight President John Magufuli's attempts to maintain sole control over the dispersion of information and limit freedom of expression.
The Ugandan government has taken similar steps towards state censorship, with its alleged attempts to impose a social media tax.