The state has resorted to cutting off internet access to its over 83 million people as anti-Kabila sentiment has risen in recent years. Authorities have also targeted services like WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, and Skype in order to hamper communication among protesters, while allowing businesses like banks to operate. Rights groups have pointed to a 2002 law that confers a broad mandate on the government to take charge of communication facilities in the interest of national security.

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