The Somali government plans to restrict TikTok and Telegram owing to worries about their effects on youngsters. The Ministry of Communications and Technology announced the decision late on Sunday.
The TikTok and Telegram ban in Somalia, which came after a meeting presided over by Minister Jama Hassan Khalif, highlights concerns that these platforms may spread inappropriate material, including those considered offensive to Somali culture and Islam, explicit photos, content, and extremist materials, according to a report from AP News.
The Somali government also noted in its statement that the access ban included the gambling site 1XBET, a major platform for soccer betting in Somalia.
Part of Strategy in Bolstering Fight Against Terrorism
The TikTok and Telegram ban is the first time a government institution in Somalia has made an explicit effort to impose restrictions on any social media site. The Somalia TikTok and Telegram ban takes effect on August 24, and private telecommunications firms must take part, as reported by Reuters.
The government said the ban is meant to speed up the battle against local terrorist groups, including the al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab.
The Somali army has fought the Shebab alongside US airstrikes, local militias, and African Union soldiers since August 2022, per Africanews. The terrorist organization has attacked security troops and civilians previously.
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Bilaal Bulshawi, a well-known social media user in Somalia, publicly disapproves of the government's action. Insisting that the government lacks the authority to censor such platforms, Bulshawi predicts that users will utilize a variety of techniques, including virtual private networks (VPNs), to get around the limitations. Users of VPNs may conceal their location and get around censorship controls.
Somalia Joins Nations Banning TikTok
Somalia's ban on TikTok is part of a more significant worldwide trend that sees social media sites more under the microscope and subject to regulations. Due to security concerns, legislative initiatives in some Western nations have recently concentrated on restricting access to sites like TikTok.
Legislators and authorities in the West have expressed worries that sensitive user data might wind up in the hands of other governments, particularly the Chinese government in the case of TikTok, according to The New York Times.
Western governments have given TikTok, controlled by the Chinese business ByteDance, close examination because of worries about data security and privacy. Allegations of user data sharing with foreign governments have been frequently refuted by the platform, which has also made an effort to separate itself from its parent business.
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