The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius blocked access to social media on Friday, just days ahead of a general election as tensions mounted over a wire-tapping scandal.
The shock move was announced by telecoms operator EMTEL, which said it was ordered late Thursday by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority to block access to all social media platforms.
The blockage is due to last until November 11 — a day after the election.
EMTEL said the order referred to “illegal postings that may impact national security and public safety”.
It follows a scandal that broke out earlier this month when secret recordings of phone calls by politicians, journalists, members of civil society and even foreign diplomats were leaked online.
There was no immediate comment from the government on the social media ban.
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