Somalia bans TikTok, Telegram, and 1x Bet over ‘horrific media and propaganda

In response to concerns about the dissemination of offensive content and propaganda, Somalia has taken measures to ban popular social media app TikTok, messaging app Telegram, and online-betting website 1XBet.

Jama Hassan Khalif, the Somali Minister of Communications, issued a statement on Sunday explaining the decision. Khalif stated that these applications were being exploited by terrorist groups and immoral entities to circulate disturbing imagery and misleading information to the public.

Terrorist organization al Shabaab, for instance, frequently utilizes TikTok and Telegram to share updates on their activities.

This ban comes shortly after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced plans for a military operation against al Shabaab, with the goal of eliminating the group within the next five months.

The directive requires internet service providers to comply by August 24th. However, as of now, TikTok, Telegram, and 1XBet have not responded to requests for comment.

Concerns surrounding data privacy have led several Western nations to impose restrictions on TikTok usage. Bytedance, the Chinese company behind TikTok, has faced accusations of sharing user data with the Chinese government through the app.

Numerous American government agencies have prohibited the use of the app on government-provided smartphones. Furthermore, Montana has now completely banned both citizens and government employees from using the app.

Similar measures to restrict the app’s usage on government-controlled smartphones have been enacted by countries such as New Zealand, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Denmark.