(Bloomberg) -- Mauritius directed telecommunications companies to suspend access to social-media platforms until a day after national elections set for Nov. 10, citing national-security concerns.
The industry regulator on Thursday sent a notice to operators asking them to temporarily halt access “in response to concerns regarding illegal postings that may impact national security and public safety,” operator Emtel Ltd. said in a statement Friday. Mauritius Telecom is the other key provider of services.
Sound clips circulating on networks such as TikTok, Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook and YouTube in recent days include alleged recordings of conversations with the commissioner of police about crimes and taps of politicians and journalists’ calls.
Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth has said artificial intelligence was used in the recordings. In a rare press conference Friday, he said there are “reasons to believe that our country has been a victim of a cyber-terrorist attack at the local level.”
“It is also possible that there has been collusion with people outside of Mauritius,” he told reporters in Port Louis, the capital.
Jugnauth gave an example of a recording of a call placed from a fixed line in his office. There’s a real risk that the line had been tapped, he said.
The developments come before authorities are scheduled to proclaim election results on Nov. 11. Jugnauth, leader of the Alliance Lepep, is seeking another mandate. Former Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam of the opposition group known as Alliance du Changement is vying for a fourth term.
Sign up here for the twice-weekly Next Africa newsletter
While Mauritius ranks second in the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, which measures the overall state of governance in the world’s poorest continent, deteriorations in the Indian Ocean island nation’s performance are concerning, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation said in a report released Oct. 23.
For Business Mauritius, the private sector’s main lobby group, the decision “greatly weakens” the country’s reputation and international positioning. Economic freedom and respect for democracy remain unconditional for investors and for a healthy business environment, it said in a statement.
Last year, mobile-phone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants rose marginally to 167, while internet subscriptions increased to 158 from 152.6 a year earlier, according to Statistics Mauritius.
The decision is “temporary,” Jugnauth said.
You can follow Bloomberg’s reporting on Africa on WhatsApp. Sign up here
(Updates with comments from prime minister in third paragraph.)
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
