Somalia: Somalia’s communications minister has announced a ban on TikTok, Telegram, and 1XBet to reduce the dissemination of inappropriate content and propaganda.
Internet service providers were instructed to comply with the order by 24th August 2023.
“The minister of communications orders internet companies to stop the aforementioned applications, which terrorists and immoral groups use to spread constant horrific images and misinformation to the public,” the minister, Mr. Jama Hassan Khalif, stated.
Al-Shabab militants frequently share information about their actions on platforms like TikTok and Telegram.
The decision was made shortly after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia announced a military campaign targeting the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group, with the goal of eradicating them within the next five months.
TikTok refrained from commenting, stating that it is awaiting official communication regarding the ban. Telegram, in a statement, emphasised its continuous removal of terrorist propaganda in Somalia and globally. It also mentioned its active efforts in moderating harmful content on its platform.
Many TikTok users in Somalia who earn income by sharing videos or advertising their products on the platform have expressed their disagreement with the decision.
Owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, TikTok faced a hard time. Countries including the UK, US, France, and more banned the app from their government employees’ phones while sitting in national security.
US lawmakers reportedly grilled TikTok CEO Mr. Shou Zi Chew for six hours on national security concerns about the Chinese-owned video app in late March 2023.
Mr. Chew insisted the platform was doing all possible to protect the safety of its 150 million US users and denied the app shared data or had any connections to the Chinese Communist Party, as per the statement.
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