The Government of Equatorial Guinea has restricted its citizens from downloading and sharing multimedia files on WhatsApp via mobile data in the country.
The restriction was implemented through the country’s telecommunications operators on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
The government said the restriction was part of moves to limit access to what authorities described as “inappropriate content”.
The development is coming amidst a high-profile scandal involving the Director General of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF) in Equatorial Guinea, Baltasar Engonga, who is under investigation for fraud and alleged misconduct.
Engonga, 54, has since been in detention for allegedly recording over 400 sextapes of women, including the sister of the country’s president.
The sextapes were recovered from Engonga’s house and office following a raid by ANIF officials who carried out the operation in a fraud investigation against the 54-year-old economist.
The ANIF officials were said to have come across several CDs that later revealed Engonga’s sexcapades with different married women.
The videos, according to a local media platform, Ahora EG, include encounters with high-profile individuals, including Engonga’s brother’s wife, his cousin, the sister of the President of Equatorial Guinea, the Director General of Police’s wife, and about 20 of the country’s ministers’ wives, among others.
The video discovered in his office was said to have been recorded with consent and has since been leaked online.
In its reaction, the government imposed restrictions on WhatsApp multimedia sharing, making it impossible for users to download or share photos, videos, and audio files via mobile data.
As a result, many citizens have turned to WiFi networks to bypass these limitations.
Ahora EG quoted a source as saying, “Should an entire country pay for the actions of a few? The likely decision to restrict access to essential communication functions seems disproportionate and punitive, affecting thousands of users of these platforms who, in addition to serving them for entertainment, also use them for their work and/or educational activities.
“In a world where digitalisation is becoming more and more important, should we shut down our platforms and paralyse our activities due to the actions of a few?
“Currently, users are forced to rely exclusively on WiFi connections, which not only limits their ability to communicate but also interferes with their daily activities.
“This situation has generated a heated debate among the population, where many believe that the measure seems to be more focused on controlling than facilitating communication.”
Earlier, the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea, Teddy Nguema, announced plans to install surveillance cameras in all state body offices.
The measure is part of ongoing efforts to ensure strict adherence to public service laws and combat misconduct among officials.
