2024

Following a major sex tape scandal involving a senior government official of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equatorial_Guinea" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Equatorial Guinea</a> and the family members of several other government officials, authorities in the Central African country have banned its citizens from downloading and sharing multimedia files through mobile data on WhatsApp. 
This move, among several others, is believed to be a government effort to stop the spread of the highly embarrassing contents of the tapes. The ban also comes after the government issued previous directives to telecommunications companies, mandating them to implement measures that would limit access to inappropriate content. 
Last week the country’s vice president in charge of defence and security, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue said that he had given 24 hours’ notice to Equatorial Guinea’s telecommunications ministry, regulator and telephone companies to curb the distribution of pornographic videos that are flooding social networks in Equatorial Guinea. 
“As the government, we cannot continue to see families destroyed,” the vice president who is also the president’s son said. 
<h4 id="sex-tape-scandal-of-equatorial-guineas-performing-official" class="wp-block-heading">Sex tape scandal of Equatorial Guinea’s ‘performing’ official</h4> 
Last week, videos started making the rounds on social media showing the Director of Equatorial Guinea’s National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), Baltasar Ebang Engonga engaging in sexual acts with more than 40 different women. The women were eventually identified to include the wives of prominent government officials, relatives, and personal staff. 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full">
 <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="400" src="https://technext24.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/image.png" alt="Equatorial Guinea bans citizens from downloading content from WhatsApp" class="wp-image-238989">
</figure> 
According to accounts where the videos were first spread by WhatsApp groups and then posted to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X, Engonga, a married man with six children, reportedly shot more than 400 pornographic videos at his office in the finance ministry. He also shot videos in hotel rooms, restrooms, and at least once beside a river. 
None of the women appeared to have been coerced by the man and most of them appeared to be with the understanding that they were being recorded. 
Ebang Engonga is well-connected within the government as he is the son of the current Chairman of the Commission of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, Baltasar Engonga Edjo. He is also reportedly related to the country’s long-serving president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. 
Due to the deep local and international embarrassment that the released sex tape has caused to the government, the president’s family and the country at large, the government appears intent on curbing its spread, at least within its own jurisdiction. It remains to be seen how effective these measures will be as anybody who cares would probably have seen the tapes at this time. 
 According to reports, the government’s restriction on communications appears to be yielding some results as the flow of internet traffic, and in particular, the downloading of images has reportedly been severely disrupted in the country after the authorities took measures to curb the sex tapes’ spread. 
However, there are strong speculations across various social media that more videos involving other individuals, across gender divides, could be released in the next few days. Perhaps, placing a ban on WhatsApp might yet prove to be useful in curbing the spread if that happens. 
The government is also taking measures to punish officials caught in the scandal. First, Baltasar Ebang Engonga himself has been remanded in custody at Malabo’s infamous Black Beach prison. It must be stated, however, that he is not being held for any crimes related to the released sex tape but in a case of embezzlement of public funds, according to state television station TVGE. 
<div class="wp-block-image"> 
 <figure class="aligncenter size-full">
 <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="432" src="https://technext24.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/whatsapp-e-telegram-768x432-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-119927" srcset="https://technext24.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/whatsapp-e-telegram-768x432-1.jpg 768w, https://technext24.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/whatsapp-e-telegram-768x432-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://technext24.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/whatsapp-e-telegram-768x432-1-640x360.jpg 640w, https://technext24.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/whatsapp-e-telegram-768x432-1-380x214.jpg 380w, https://technext24.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/whatsapp-e-telegram-768x432-1-550x309.jpg 550w, https://technext24.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/whatsapp-e-telegram-768x432-1-760x428.jpg 760w, https://technext24.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/whatsapp-e-telegram-768x432-1-600x338.jpg 600w, https://technext24.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/whatsapp-e-telegram-768x432-1-360x202.jpg 360w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px">
 <figcaption class="wp-element-caption">
 Instant messaging apps have been used to spread the tapes
 </figcaption>
 </figure>
</div> 
However, Equatorial Guinea’s chief prosecutor, Anatolio Nzang Nguema, said that the Director has been subjected to medical examination and if medical examinations revealed that he was “infected with a sexually transmitted disease” he would be prosecuted for an offence against “public health”. 
Similarly, the government has suspended all civil servants who have had sexual relations in the offices of the ministries. The vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue made the announcement on X that the government would order the “immediate suspension of all civil servants who have had sexual relations in the offices of the ministries, as this constitutes a flagrant violation of the code of conduct and the law on public ethics”. 
Furthermore, the government said it has approved the installation of surveillance cameras in government offices to curb the embarrassing incidents of officials desecrating government properties with their ribald activities. In one video, Baltasar Ebang Engonga could even be seen indulging right under the Equatorial Guinea flag in his office. 
It is not the first time that sex tapes involving civil servants have been leaked on social media. However, the government appears intent on making it the last. 
See also: <a href="https://technext24.com/2024/11/05/african-startups-raised-254m-in-october/">African startups raised $254m in October 2024 led by Moniepoint’s unicorn-making raise</a>
The post <a href="https://technext24.com/2024/11/05/equatorial-guinea-ban-whatsapp-sex-tape/">Sex tape scandal: Equatorial Guinea bans citizens from downloading content from WhatsApp</a> first appeared on <a href="https://technext24.com">Technext</a>.

Sex tape scandal: Equatorial Guinea bans citizens from downloading content from WhatsApp

Technext.ng

Other articles published on Nov 5, 2024

From Prohibition to Promotion: Pakistan’s Shift on Cryptocurrency Regulations

Cardano Spotlights Stunning Growth Milestones as Chang 2 Upgrade Nears

BTC ETFs recorded second-largest outflows amid market-wide FUD

Peter Thiel’s startup Palantir rides AI wave, gains 14% profit

PolitiFi Coins Soar Ahead Of Election Day As FreeDum Fighters Rockets Past $400K In Presale

VanEck launches Europe’s first Pyth Network ETN

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!