People in Mauritius have been turning en masse to the best VPN apps as authorities have enforced a wide social media shutdown ahead of the general elections.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok all went dark on Friday, November 1, 2024 – internet watchdog NetBlocks could confirm (see tweet below). The blockage is expected to remain until November 11, the day after the voting. This forces users to find a workaround to keep accessing these services.
"People have rushed to download Proton VPN since early this morning when the social media ban came into force, and we expect them to continue to use VPNs heavily until at least 11th November, when the ban is due to lift," David Peterson, General Manager of Proton VPN, told me.
⚠️ Confirmed: Metrics show multiple social media platforms have been restricted in #Mauritius; the incident comes as authorities order ISPs to suspend access until after elections later this month, on grounds of national security after the leaking of "certain" audio clips pic.twitter.com/mRGqlR4XsuNovember 1, 2024
Peterson said the provider recorded a spike in usage of 16000% above normal levels so far – and it's "quickly growing." Other data shows VPN demand across the country is 16,107% higher than the daily average over the 28 days prior.
Authorities ordered the blockage to halt the spread of illegal content that may "threaten national security and public safety."
The country has recently been rocked by a wiretapping scandal, in fact, during which sensitive conversations involving politicians, police, lawyers, journalists, and members of civil society have been leaked on social media – Reuters reported.
Digital rights strongly condemn the move and urge the Mauritius government, a first-time offender of internet shutdowns, to end the ongoing crackdown on social media.
"This shutdown is a gross violation of national and international human rights frameworks and must not be allowed to continue," wrote the #KeepItOn coalition, a global network of over 334 human rights organizations from 105 countries working to end internet shutdowns, in an open letter.
How a VPN can help
A VPN, short for virtual private network, is security software whose primary goal is to keep you anonymous when browsing the web by encrypting all your internet connections to prevent third-party snooping.
At the same time, though, VPNs also mask your real IP address location. IP spoofing is not just advantageous from a privacy perspective, but it also enables you to access otherwise geo-restricted content.
People in Mauritius can then connect to a VPN server located outside the country to bypass the current block and keep using social media platforms as usual.
As Peterson explains, the provider has enabled some free election servers in Mauritius as part of its election support initiative. "We will continue to operate these servers as long as they are needed by citizens to circumvent internet censorship," he said.
This year, democracy is on the ballot. Over 60 countries — home to half the globe’s population — will hold national elections in 2024.To ensure that everyone has access to accurate information before they cast their vote, we’ll offer free #ProtonVPN servers in countries with a… pic.twitter.com/Vlgt6yVukXMarch 6, 2024
As I'm writing, people living in another African country are battling against a similar block. The likes of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp all went dark in Mozambique only a day before following mobile data disruptions that occurred the week before. These incidents coincide with a wave of violent protests contesting the election results.
"There, we recorded a spike in sign-ups of 8790% on 30 October, and currently nine of the top ten apps on the Mozambique Google Play store are VPNs," said Peterson.
If you are in need of a means to access the open web and evade internet restrictions, I suggest looking into our best free VPN guide to get the most secure freebie app right now.
