The issue is especially visible in Central Africa. Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Brazzaville, in the Republic of the Congo, sit on opposite banks of the Congo River but share intertwined social and political histories. Global Voices examines shutdowns as one form of pressure on protesters: when street demonstrations become dangerous, dissent moves online, where telecommunications companies control access.
In the DRC, protests, internet shutdowns, chaos and violence marked the period of former president Joseph Kabila’s rule and efforts to remain in power from 2001 to 2019. In the neighboring Republic of the Congo, internet access was throttled during the 2026 presidential election, as it had been during the 2021 vote.
The article raises particular questions about MTN’s role in the Republic of the Congo. Global Voices says the operator may have enabled human rights violations by allowing the General Directorate of Presidential Security (DGSP) to use its official messaging service to encourage people to share information about dissidents. The article notes that the DGSP has conducted extrajudicial killings in the past.
Across Africa and the Middle East, telecommunications companies including Airtel, Tigo, MTN and Vodacom have been implicated in network shutdowns or in sharing users’ personal data with governments. The #KeepItOn campaign also points to Safaricom and Zain’s role in restricting connectivity during protests. The consequences reach beyond activists: losing access to a network can prevent people from calling hospitals or law enforcement.
Telecom operators own and control infrastructure that underpins modern communications. That gives them the power to maintain communications or cut them off, and with it a responsibility to protect users’ rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes freedom of expression and assembly and protection from arbitrary detention. As participants in the UN Global Compact, MTN and Vodacom have commitments to support internationally recognized human rights and avoid complicity in abuses.
Yet the article says both companies have implemented shutdowns and shared users’ personal information with authorities, often during unrest and protests. It also describes documented ties between telecom companies and political figures, including former DRC president Kabila and South African president Cyril Ramaphosa. Limited disclosure about spectrum and licensing agreements, alongside complex ownership structures, makes it harder to identify who is accountable for decisions that affect rights.
Global Voices presents public pressure and legal action as possible ways to demand accountability. It cites a civil case filed in Norway against Telenor over the company’s role in deaths of people who opposed Myanmar’s military junta. The authors also say they supported a US campaign against national immigration policy that succeeded.
The article calls for greater transparency and for telecom companies to honor their human rights commitments. It argues that documenting corporate policies remains important even when governments shut networks down, because recording facts can itself be a form of protest.