The authorities in Ethiopia say they have temporarily blocked access to social media during national exams week because it has "proven to be a distraction for students," according to a government spokesperson.
Addis Ababa – Ethiopia has blocked social media sites for the next few days, after questions from end-of-year exams were posted online last month, sparking a national scandal and leading to their annulment.
A government spokesperson said the ban was aimed at stopping students taking university entrance exams this week from being “distracted”.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Viber have been inaccessible in the Horn of Africa nation since Saturday morning.
“It’s blocked. It’s a temporary measure until Wednesday. Social media have proven to be a distraction for students,” government spokesperson Getachew Reda told AFP.
Prominent blogger Daniel Berhane denounced the move as a “dangerous precedent”.
“There’s no transparency on who decides why it’s necessary or who decides for how long,” he said.
“This time it’s for a few days but next time it could be for months [...] They’re flexing their muscles. They got multiple tools and they’re testing them.”
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