Tanzania experienced widespread Internet restrictions on October 29, 2025, amid election day protests, with disruptions to data services and social media access. Tanzania imposed nationwide Internet restrictions on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, during the general election, disrupting mobile data services and blocking access to social media platforms across major networks. Live network data from Internet observatory NetBlocks revealed a significant drop in national connectivity from early morning hours, pointing to a deliberate and coordinated restriction on Internet access. The disruption began as polling stations opened, affecting both mobile and fixed-line services. Protests erupted across Tanzania amid a widely criticized election, with President Samia Suluhu Hassan facing no serious opposition after key rivals were barred, were detained, or withdrew in protest over electoral conditions.

According to the Associated Press, demonstrators clashed with security forces in Dar es Salaam, setting a bus and gas station ablaze, prompting a 6 p.m. curfew. The military was deployed in Dodoma, Zanzibar, and Dar es Salaam, as Internet access was disrupted nationwide. Late on Wednesday, government spokesperson Gerson Msigwa instructed civil servants and students to stay home on Thursday. "All public servants in the country should work from home except those whose job duties require them to be present at their workplaces as directed by their employers," said a post shared on Msigwa's Instagram account. The move reflects a recurring pattern of digital crackdowns during major political events in Tanzania, where Internet slowdowns and platform blocks are common during elections and protests. The first major instance occurred during the 2020 general election, when authorities blocked access to WhatsApp, Telegram, and X. Tech Cabal reported that in May 2025, Tanzanian authorities escalated online restrictions, blocking access to 80,000 websites, social media accounts, blogs, and online platforms and also previously limited access to X during activist campaigns in August 2024. In October 2025, TikTok Live and Instagram Live were disabled, curbing real-time digital broadcasts.

Tanzania is not the only African country that has restricted Internet access to citizens during elections. African countries have been known to shut down or restrict Internet connectivity to establish control. In November 2024, Mozambique's government imposed its second Internet shutdown in two weeks, amid election result protests. In June 2024, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) pledged not to shut down the Internet amid protests over a new finance bill. Senegal's authorities shut down mobile Internet after the country's president at the time, Macky Sall, postponed the presidential elections scheduled for February 25, 2024. In June 2023, the country experienced its third shutdown in a space of nine months, when Senegal restricted mobile Internet access in specific regions and during certain periods due to violent protests. In 2021, the Zambian government also blocked access to social media platforms during that country's election.