The year 2025 marks a significant turning point for Morocco's digital ecosystem. Authorities initiated an unprecedented cleansing campaign to address the rampant abuses prevalent on social media. Commercial scams, organized defamation, digital blackmail, exploitation of anonymous pages, and cyberbullying: interventions accelerated month by month, revealing the extent of practices that threatened citizens' trust in the digital space.
Since the beginning of the year, the DGSN, the BNPJ, and specialized units have coordinated several operations across various cities. Investigations targeted activities using online notoriety to deceive, manipulate, or harm. In many cases, highly followed pages published false information, defamed public figures, or exerted financial pressure in exchange for content removal. Other investigations uncovered scams related to fake sales, rigged contests, or illegal collection of personal data.
One trend that has caught authorities' attention is the proliferation of anonymous accounts posing as news or ‘scoop’ platforms, which primarily served to spread misinformation or coordinate attacks on individuals. These practices are viewed as particularly dangerous for social stability and the credibility of information sources.
Security forces have also faced a notable increase in cases of cyberbullying. Several cases involved content targeting women, minors, or public figures, including the dissemination of private conversations, defamatory edits, or systematic insult campaigns. Authorities reminded that the Penal Code and cybercrime legislation prescribe strict penalties for violations of privacy or digital harassment.
Throughout the operations conducted in 2025, authorities emphasized a clear goal: to restore a digital space where verified information, user protection, and individual responsibility prevail. This cleansing campaign, praised by some and criticized by others, fits within a broader regulatory dynamic aimed at overseeing influence activities, combating scams, and enhancing digital security.
While complete results will only be known at the end of the year, one thing is certain: 2025 will be remembered as the year Morocco chose to confront the excesses of a web that had become a fertile ground for misinformation, blackmail, and abuse. The question will now be whether this movement can be sustainably integrated into the Moroccan digital landscape and accompanied by a prevention strategy targeting youth, the primary users of social networks.
