AFRICAN Stream, a pan-African digital media organisation, has accused Google of censorship after the tech giant locked it out of its Gmail Workspace on Tuesday. The ban has resulted in the loss of two years’ worth of emails and files stored on Google’s cloud, the platform said in a statement.
The Nairobi-based media outlet, known for its African-centred content, claims Google provided no credible reason for the ban. ‘Like other tech and social media platforms—such as YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Threads—all of which have banned us in the last two weeks, Google did not provide any credible reason for banning us,’ African Stream said.
African Stream alleges that the ban is part of a wider effort by US tech firms to silence its voice, following comments from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Blinken had suggested the platform was influenced by Russian propaganda and labelled the outlet as ‘Kremlin propagandists.’ The company denies these accusations, insisting it has never violated any policies.
‘How can Big Tech bow down after one speech by a US official?’ African Stream questioned, emphasising that it operates solely on social media to challenge negative stereotypes about Africa and amplify African voices globally.
