In response to the rapid dissemination of indecent content and propaganda, Somalia has taken measures to prohibit several social media applications, as conveyed by the nation’s communication minister in a statement released late on Sunday.
The East African country has enforced a ban on well-known short video application TikTok, messaging platform Telegram, and the online betting website 1XBet.
Reuters reports that the government directive has given internet service providers until August 24th to comply with the ban.
According to Reuters, Somali communications minister Jama Hassan Khalif’s statement emphasized, “The minister of communications orders internet companies to cease the aforementioned applications, which terrorists and immoral groups exploited to disseminate continuous gruesome images and misleading information to the public.”
The ban has emerged shortly after Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud disclosed a military offensive by Somali forces aimed at eradicating the insurgent group al Shabaab within the next five months.
Al Shabaab, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda, frequently shares information about their illicit activities on TikTok and Telegram.
While TikTok from ByteDance and the betting website 1XBet have yet to provide comments on the ban, Telegram stated in its response, “Telegram consistently removes terrorist propaganda in Somalia and worldwide.” The platform also indicated that it actively moderates harmful content on its platform.
In Somalia and other regions, TikTok is employed by millions of users to generate income through video posts, entertaining content, or product promotion. Speaking to Reuters, some Somalian TikTok influencers and content creators expressed their opposition to the ban.
Abdulkadir Ali Mohamed, a user who identifies himself as Somalia’s “TikTok President,” commented, “The ban on TikTok will darken the lives of many households.”
He posed the question, “Where will we get our daily sustenance?”
Another user named Halimo Hassan, who utilizes TikTok to sell precious metal gold, expressed concerns about losing her customer base and urged the government to permit TikTok for public use while overseeing its cultural context within Somalia.
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