TBN STRONGLY CONDEMNS 'ONLINE PROPHETS,' DEMANDS ACCOUNTABILITY UNDER THE LAW



The Tanzania Bloggers Network (TBN) has strongly condemned the growing trend of individuals claiming to make prophecies about people and the nation on social media, stating that such acts violate the Personal Data Protection Act.


The statement was issued as a resolution during a training workshop for bloggers ahead of the October 2025 General Election.


The bloggers have called upon the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) and the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) to collaborate in identifying and taking strong action against all those involved in these activities.


During the workshop, the bloggers identified that a group of people claiming to be prophets has emerged online, making statements that violate national laws and are causing public confusion as the election approaches. After a careful review of the Personal Data Protection Act, they concluded that such 'prophecies' infringe upon an individual's fundamental right to privacy.


According to Mr. Innocent Mungy, a presenter from the PDPC, the law prohibits the discussion of a person's health, conduct, or the release of their personal information without their consent. Mungy stressed that this law carries severe penalties and must be followed by everyone, not just bloggers and journalists.


The training, which was coordinated by TCRA, aimed to prepare bloggers to report election news with professionalism and integrity. In addition to personal data protection, other important topics covered included the Journalists' Guide to Reporting on Elections and the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in journalism.


The main objective of this training is to enhance the capabilities of bloggers to ensure they follow journalistic laws and ethics, which is expected to contribute to a peaceful and stable election environment.

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