DRC online media association (MILRDC) denounces the limitation of access to social media as from 8 August 2017 across the DRC.
Access to social media and sharing of multimedia files has been drastically reduced across the country this Tuesday, a day on which the Rassemblement opposition platform has called for a general strike.
MILRDC observed that on 7 August 2017, which saw violence flare up in Kinshasa and western parts of the DRC (Matadi and Moanda) leaving at least 17 killed, the Congo Post and Telecommunications Authority (ARPTC) ordered telecommunications companies to curtail the sharing of images across the country.
“In order to prevent abusive sharing of images through social media by subscribers of your network, I request you to take, upon receipt of this letter, preventive technical measures that would reduce to the strict minimum the ability to share images” reads the letter signed by ARPTC Chairperson, Oscar Manikunda.
MILRDC noted this morning that millions of its internauts have a hard time accessing Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Instagram, Viber, Google+, Skype, Baidu tieba, Pinterest, Linkedin, Tagged, Badoo, Myspace, Youtube, Videos, Buzznet, Meetup Snapfish and Imo from their smartphones. Only those who have downloaded Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are able to browse without any issues.
MILRDC considers this limitation of access to social media, which are part of the organisation’s vehicles for information sharing, as a blockade to journalism in general and constitutes violation of its DRC-based readers’ rights to access information.
Consequently, MILRDC denounces and protests against this decision which is an attempt against the freedom of the media and the right to information.
MILRDC reaffirms its commitment to the respect of the constitution and that of human rights which guarantee the right to information.