Gabon ends digital anonymity

Inside: Nigeria's new digital banking laws

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CybAfrique Media
April 18, 2026

CybAfriqué is a space for news and analysis on cyber, data, and information security on the African continent.

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Gabon ends digital anonymity

An unwritten rule of the internet is that you should not believe everything you see on the internet. This often means that the internet is a stage with carefully constructed stories and actions, but it also means that sometimes the people are not real. Olatunji from CybAfrique, for example, could be a crackwise black cat with access to a computer, etc. If you fix this, you fix catfishing, NDA violations, scams. If you’re a repressive regime, you also cripple political dissidence, whistleblowing, and undercover journalism. 

Gabon is taking a stab at it. Ordinance No. 0011/PR/2026, signed this month, effectively outlaws online anonymity, mandating that every social media account be linked to a physical Personal Identification Number (NIP). Libreville, which is still reeling from an internet shutdown implemented earlier this year,  is moving to consolidate digital repression. 

This law requires users to provide verified identity details to access digital platforms, authorities imposing fines up to CFA50 million ($89,415) and prison terms for violations. Users must comply within 12 months.

It is not the first of its kind, Gabon joins other countries like China which has the most extensive system in the world. Since 2011, it has mandated real-name registration for microblogging like Weibo, South Korea was one of the first to implement a Real-Name Verification Law in 2007. It required websites with over 100,000 daily viewers to verify users' identities via their resident registration numbers but was struck down as its cyber security law evolved. 

Nigeria’s new banking regulations

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recently announced a policy shift regarding the Bank Verification Number (BVN) system. Starting May 1, 2026, individuals will be restricted to a once-in-a-lifetime change of the phone number linked to their BVN, as a means to curb fraud and scams. 

The BVN is an 11-digit identifier that serves as the essential identity layer within Nigeria's Digital Public Infrastructure. It functions by anchoring a user's financial identity to biometric data—fingerprints and facial recognition—stored in a central database managed by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS).

Under the new regulations, this 11-digit number remains the primary requirement for maintaining a verified bank account, but capping the number of possible updates creates a more rigid security structure that could prevent SIM swaps. It also introduces a "double-edged sword" due to the gap between digital policy and infrastructure realities. If a user loses a SIM card, has it barred, or loses access to a defunct network, the "once-in-a-lifetime" cap could permanently lock them out of their financial identity.

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