ZIMBABWE has been ranked among the top three countries in the world with the most restrictive social media policies, especially during elections.

A report by cybersecurity firm Surfshark on internet connectivity said other countries that shut down the internet amid political unrest in 2022 included Burkina Faso and Kazakhstan.

Surfshark said the internet downturn suffered at the launch of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change campaign rally in Highfield, Harare on Sunday led Zimbabwe to join the global league of top internet censors.

“This is the third incident of internet disruption in Africa this year, following the events in Burkina Faso,” Surfshark said.

“Africa continues to be the most censored continent on the internet in the world and was responsible for half of the cases last year.

“The three cases of internet disruption in Zimbabwe recorded by the social media censorship tracker are linked to political protests.”

In January 2019, authorities shut down the internet across the country during protests against rising fuel prices.

This was followed by another shutdown in 2020, where connectivity speeds were limited at the time of scheduled opposition rallies.

In 2021, social media or complete internet shutdowns were recorded 19 times in 17 countries around the world, affecting approximately 250 million people.

“Africa has become the most censored continent in the world, responsible for 10 (nearly 53%) of cases last year. In total, 32 of Africa’s 54 countries have blocked access to social media platforms since 2015 and the region’s closures are also the most politically burdensome,” Surfshark said.

During Benin’s 2019 legislative elections, there was a worrying trend of election-related internet shutdowns.

In 2020, Access Now’s #KeepItOn coalition documented 155 shutdowns in 29 countries around the world, including 10 in Africa.

Between 2020 and 2021, Pulse, the Internet Society’s data analysis tool, recorded around 98 internet shutdowns.