THE Somalian government has banned TikTok, Telegram and online-betting website 1XBet, adding that the ban is aimed at curbing the spread of horrific content and misinformation in the country.
The development was disclosed by its communications minister, Jama Hassan Khalif, via his Twitter handle on Monday.
According to him, this is due to concerns related to the spread of explicit content, blackmail, and the promotion of gambling.
“These platforms have had a detrimental impact on our youth and have been misused to harm many individuals in recent years,” he stated.
Khalif added, according to a report by Reuters that the said apps were responsible for indecent content and helping terrorists spread “horrific” messages to the public.
According to the report, the internet service providers are given until August 24, 2023, to comply.
“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,” part of the statement quoted by Reuters read.
1XBet is popular in Somalia for betting, especially on soccer matches.
TikTok, a Chinese-owned video-sharing company, has been banned in several countries due to security concerns and the platform’s alleged sharing of users’ data with the Chinese government.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.