Despite Low Internet Use, Burundi Blocks Viber and WhatsApp Amidst Protests | Electronic Frontier Foundation

Fewer than 2 percent of Burundi’s 10.2 million residents use the Internet, but that hasn’t stopped the government from cracking down; this week, amidst demonstrations, WhatsApp and Viber were reportedly blocked—at least by major telecoms—in the southeastern African country.

Why would a country with only 200,000 or so Internet users bother censoring conversational platforms like Viber and WhatsApp? The key is in the platforms’ use: Both platforms have allowed protesters in the capital to quickly communicate, and privately. Whereas Twitter and Blackberry Messenger were popular during Egypt’s 2011 uprising, Burundians have instead turned toward the popular, but closed, messaging apps.