According to an AFP report, Kyrgyzstan has prohibited access to TikTok in a move believed to be aimed at safeguarding children, following directives from the country's security services.
Users attempting to access TikTok in Kyrgyzstan received an error message indicating the app's unavailability.
TikTok Banned in Kyrgyztan
Kyrgyzstan's digital ministry, citing instructions from the security services, communicated the decision to restrict TikTok to telecommunication operators.
The State Committee for National Security, led by Kamchybek Tashiev, issued the directive based on concerns that ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, had not adhered to legal requirements aimed at safeguarding children's well-being.
However, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expressed apprehension over the ban, urging the government to revoke the restriction and establish transparent regulations for online platforms.
"RSF is concerned about the blocking of #TikTok in #Kyrgyzstan. Under the pretext of protecting minors, this decision restricts the right to information online. RSF calls on the government to lift this arbitrary blocking and define a clear legal framework to regulate platforms," RSF wrote in a post on X.
Kyrgyzstan's actions come amid a broader trend of tightening control over media and civil society, including enacting laws targeting dissent and curtailing independent media outlets.
The country's proximity to China and its economic partnership have raised concerns about the erosion of freedom of information in what was once considered a relatively open environment in Central Asia.
TikTok's data practices have also been scrutinized globally, particularly in the United States and the European Union, amid apprehensions regarding potential ties to the Chinese government.
TikTok Faces Potential Ban in the US
In related news, the US House of Representatives is scheduled to vote again on Saturday regarding a bill to compel TikTok to sever ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a nationwide prohibition.
This bill, integrated into a substantial $61 billion assistance package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, may encounter smoother approval in both houses of the US Congress.
According to the legislation, ByteDance would be mandated to sell TikTok within a specified period, failing which the app would be removed from Apple and Google's app stores in the United States.
Additionally, the bill grants the US president the authority to classify other applications as national security threats if they are controlled by a nation considered adversarial.
TikTok has criticized the bill, arguing that it would negatively impact the US economy and undermine freedom of expression.
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