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The Tanzania Bloggers Network (TBN) has called for urgent action against a rising wave of self-proclaimed prophets who use social media to make personal predictions about individuals, including national leaders, in violation of the Personal Data Protection Act.
Speaking in Dar es Salaam today, TBN issued the call as part of resolutions from a capacity-building workshop for bloggers ahead of the October 2025 General Election.
The network urged the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) and the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) to work jointly to identify and take stern legal measures against those responsible.
Participants at the workshop noted that the so-called prophets were making statements that breach national laws and fuel public anxiety in the run-up to the elections.
After reviewing the Personal Data Protection Act, they concluded that such predictions undermine the fundamental right to privacy.
Innocent Mungy, a representative from the PDPC, stressed that the law strictly prohibits the unauthorized disclosure of information about a person’s health, conduct, or private affairs.
He warned that the legislation carries heavy penalties and must be adhered to by all citizens, not only bloggers and journalists.
The training, organized by TCRA, focused on equipping bloggers with the skills to cover elections with professionalism and integrity.
In addition to personal data protection, discussions included the Election Reporting Guidelines for Journalists and the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in journalism.
According to TBN, the ultimate goal is to ensure that bloggers follow the law and uphold ethical reporting standards—contributing to a peaceful, transparent, and credible electoral process.