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TikTok has agreed to have its content monitored in Kenya. CitizenGO, an advocacy group focused on creating a safer online environment, has said affirming statements by the Kenya government and the social media giant.
RELATED: Privacy watchdog fines TikTok $367m over how it processed children’s data
Africanews is also reporting that the “Chinese social network TikTok has pledged to work with Kenyan authorities so that its content can be monitored and eventually removed, the presidency of the East African country, where a ban on the platform has been requested.”
Adding: “In a virtual meeting with President Ruto on Thursday morning, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew committed to ensuring that content is moderated to meet community standards,” says a statement on the Kenyan presidency’s website.
“TikTok will work with Kenya to review and monitor its content,” the text adds.
“This new development means that inappropriate or offensive content will be removed from the platform”, it assures, indicating that TikTok has also committed to opening an office in Kenya “to coordinate its operations on the continent” and “to hire more Kenyans”.
The petition against TikTok in Kenya alleges that the company shares inappropriate content. One petitioner, Ben Ndolo, said TikTok “promotes violence, explicit sexual content, hate speech, vulgar language, and offensive behaviour which is a serious threat to the cultural and religious values of Kenya”.
Tiktok has a large number of users in Kenya though WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram are the most frequently used social media platforms, a survey conducted in January 2023 showed,
“We are pleased to inform you that our collective efforts have not gone unnoticed. TikTok has responded positively to our campaign, and they have agreed to implement measures to address the concerns we raised. President Ruto himself has expressed his support for our cause, underscoring the importance of protecting our conservative values and the well-being of our youth,” said CitizenGO’s Ann Kioko.
Adding “The news of TikTok’s commitment to have its content moderated in Kenya is a testament to the power of grassroots activism and the strength of our united voice. I am immensely proud of the impact we have made together.”
Authorities in East Africa are increasingly worried over what some termed as “dangerous and inciting content.” by TikTok.
According to Africanews, “Tiktok Kenya’s neighbor Somalia announced on Sunday that it was banning TikTok, as well as the Telegram messaging service and an online betting site, with effect from August 24, claiming that these platforms were being used by “terrorists”, notably the radical Islamist Shebab.
“WIn Senegal, the authorities suspended it in early August until “further notice” due to the dissemination of “hateful and subversive” messages following protests against the imprisonment of opposition figure Ousmane Sonko.
“The application, which has more than a billion active users worldwide, is also suspected by the authorities in the USA and several European countries of not protecting data sufficiently and of allowing Beijing to spy on and manipulate its users, something the group has always vigorously denied.”
Last September, TikTok was fined EUR 345 million (about $367 million) by the Data Protection Commission (DPC), Ireland’s data watchdog, for failing to protect children’s privacy.
