All the unregistered bloggers in Tanzania need to shut down their website with immediate effect and those who will fail to do so would be facing criminal prosecution.
The order has been passed by John Magufuli government which had earlier levied annual fees on bloggers and other online media houses.
Critics have accused the government for the move trying to tighten control of internet content. Several websites have been temporarily shut dow following a warning from Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) lately that unlicensed websites would face legal action.
The Tanzanian government had passed the new regulation earlier this year in March making it mandatory for online platform owners including bloggers to pay a fee of about $900 as licence fee.
The fee is hefty for the people as per capita income in the country is little below $900 a year. The government cites new move is aimed to tackle hate speech and online crimes like pornography and cyberbullying.
Activists and critics say the new regulation is a part of a crackdown on dissent and free speech by Magufuli government.
John Magufuli was elected in 2015 and since then is working on reducing crime in the country.
A statement released by TCRA on Monday reads, “All unregistered online content providers must be licensed before June 15. Starting from today June 11 until June 15, they are prohibited from posting any new content on their blogs, forums or online radios and televisions.”
The statement adds that those who violates the new regulation to face legal action.
