Zimbabweans back online after Zim court rules govt block on internet illegal
Many Zimbabweans are angry at the authorities' attempt to stop them communicating and are angry too with service providers for complying with what has now been ruled as an illegal directive.
HARARE - Zimbabweans were tweeting and using WhatsApp freely again on Monday night after the High Court ruled an internet block by the state wasn't legal.
The case was brought by media watchdog MISA Zimbabwe after the security ministry forced service providers to block access on and off last week.
If Zimbabweans didn't know a week ago what VPN stood for, most of them do now - a virtual private network.
You load it onto your phone when you're lucky enough to get a connection and with it you can browse sites like WhatsApp and Twitter that the Zimbabwean authorities didn't want you to.
Some activists and reportedly frustrated government officials even went so far as to join Telegram, an alternative messaging service that was still accessible.
Many Zimbabweans are angry at the authorities' attempt to stop them communicating and are angry too with service providers for complying with what has now been ruled as an illegal directive.
Econet, the main service provider, has already said that it will reimburse those for the data they lost on the days of the blockage.
