Mogadishu(Mogadishu24)-Somalia’s Federal Minister of Telecommunications and Technology, Jama Hassan Khalif, has reaffirmed the Government’s decision to ban TikTok, 1Xbet and Telegram, within the country.
In an interview with Dawan TV on Monday, the Minister emphasized that these platforms present more challenges than benefits to the Somali people.
“While some youth said that platforms like TikTok generate income for them, the Government is taking action to shut down TikTok and other sites like 1Xbet due to their diverse and indecent content. These platforms are used to spread propaganda, explicit content, and misinformation.”
“This action is taken to safeguard their reputation and dignity. Let them not focus only on the income they were getting from these sites, as these platforms have more harm than good. They are used to spread propaganda, promote explicit content, and disseminate rumours and misinformation,” Minister Jama stated.
He dismissed concerns that the ban might strain diplomatic relations between Somalia and the countries where these platforms originate, such as China and Russia.
“We are not under digital colonialism. Somalia is a sovereign nation guided by its own policies and regulations, just like any other country. Our decisions are based on the interests of our nation and people. We are not concerned if our actions impact diplomatic ties with any specific country,” Minister Jaama stated.
He added: “We have taken this action without needing to consult any government claiming ownership of these sites. Our focus is solely on our interests, not theirs. Regardless of their opinions, we should steadfastly pursue our own interests. Our concern is not whether our diplomatic ties with a specific country may be strained due to the action taken against these applications and sites.”
The Government has ordered that all telecommunication companies and internet service providers close access to these applications by Thursday, August 24th. Failure to comply will result in legal action.
This move has garnered huge support from community leaders and religious scholars, who believe it will help combat indecency within the community.
However, TikTok’s management has strongly denied the allegations, stating that the platform has removed over 280,000 videos in Somalia that violated its guidelines.
“In Somalia, our team removed over 280,000 violating videos during the same period. Impressively, we detected and removed 98.7% of these violations before they were reported. Our proactive approach demonstrates our commitment to maintaining a safe and compliant platform for our users,” stated TikTok in a response.