Service blocking
Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, TikTok, Signal, WhatsApp, X, YouTube
National
Guinea experienced a second service blocking event in 2023, following the fourteen day event in May. As of Friday, 24 November 2023, social media sites and messaging services were reportedly inaccessible in-country without the use of a VPN and several independent radio stations are being jammed. According to one report, government authorities have not yet provided a statement. Measurements by the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) showed issues connecting to specific social media sites and messaging services and indicated that this blocking seems to be happening by interference with Transport Layer Security (TLS) connections and DNS-based tampering. Beginning on 23 February 2024, OONI measurements began to show a restoration of services and an end to the blocking. Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact the ability of citizens to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country, or in other countries.
- Total Duration 118 days
Guinea
- Population
- 14,405,468
- UN Classification
-
- Least Developed Country
Local impact
Guinea experienced a second service blocking event in 2023, following the fourteen day event in May. As of Friday, 24 November 2023, social media sites and messaging services were reportedly inaccessible in-country without the use of a VPN and several independent radio stations are being jammed. According to one report, government authorities have not yet provided a statement. Measurements by the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) showed issues connecting to specific social media sites and messaging services and indicated that this blocking seems to be happening by interference with Transport Layer Security (TLS) connections and DNS-based tampering. Beginning on 23 February 2024, OONI measurements began to show a restoration of services and an end to the blocking. Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact the ability of citizens to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country, or in other countries.
Other supporting information
Like the previous service blocking event, measurements from OONI indicated connection issues to some social media and video sharing sites, including Twitter (X), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Beginning on 23 February 2024, the blocking began to be removed for the different services.
Google's Transparency Report also supports the data suggesting that YouTube service is being blocked in some way.
Additionally, OONI data indicated some connectivity issues with the messaging services WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram. Signal has been intermittently blocked in Guinea since May 2023. Note that that blockage is not total and some connections are working.
Social media
Professional press associations and unions in Guinea are mobilizing against the blocking of mobile internet service and the jamming of frequencies for some private media. A demonstration is also planned in front of the High Authority for Communication.https://t.co/OYoAayHUWY — West Africa Democracy Radio (@WadrNews) December 5, 2023
Starting from 17th May 2023, OONI data shows that #Guinea started blocking access to: • WhatsApp: https://t.co/vRnbajlqCx • Facebook Messenger: https://t.co/D2XsXiYFvn • Telegram: https://t.co/dnA3kBr2NB • Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat: https://t.co/h3oS03551H pic.twitter.com/G9NIUvQeRN — OONI (@OpenObservatory) May 22, 2023