Govt Makes Final Submissions on TikTok Ban Debate

The government has given the way forward on a petition seeking to ban social media platform TikTok in the country. 

This was after representatives of the popular video content platform listed reasons why the country should not proceed with the ban.

ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo while appearing before the Public Petitions Committee on Tuesday, April 16 said the government was introducing regulatory measures to regularize Tik Tok.

The CS was accompanied by his Principal Secretary John Tanui, senior officers from the Communication Authority of Kenya and from the Office of Data Protection to respond to questions from the MPs.

On his part, the CS noted that a total ban on the platform would be detrimental to those who use it to earn a living.

He further highlighted that the government would introduce new regulations to monitor the platform while emphasizing that the app would not be banned entirely.

Owalo on TikTok Ban

According to the CS, banning would suffer a blow to the technological advancement recorded in the country.

“A balance must be struck between addressing the legitimate concerns brought about by this petition and upholding citizens’ rights to express themselves. TikTok serves as a diverse platform for expression, encompassing creativity, political commentary, and cultural representation,” he stated.

Also Read: TikTok Lists Reasons Why Kenya Should Not Ban App

CS Owalo further told the Committee that proposed amendments in the Kenya Information and Communications (Amendment) Bill 2023 were being considered for introduction by his Ministry.

The CS made the remarks a week after top management representing the platform appeared before the Committee to respond to the claims cited in the petition.

TikTok app’s regulator Majorel Kenya’s representatives on April 10 listed reasons why Kenya should not ban the popular app.

While presenting their views, the company noted that it took down over 296,000 videos within Kenya.

Measures taken

“In the last year, we have taken down over 296,000 videos from Kenya alone. Around the globe 96.7% of harmful content is taken down before it is reported, while 77.1% of content is taken down before garnering any views,” stated Byte Dance Public Policy and Government Relations Director Fortune Mgwili Sibanda.

Also Read: Meta to Launch Fact-Checking Feature for WhatsApp Users

The director while taking the committee through an extensive presentation, further highlighted the application’s operational policy.

According to Sibanda, 95 percent of the content consumed on the app is filtered by machine assisted (Artificial Intelligence) programs which are set using internationally set policy standards.

Sibanda further revealed that the app engages human moderators conversant with respective country’s languages and culturally accepted policies who review the content.

According to him, the policies are guided by the local partners who help shape what is culturally accepted or culturally rejected in different countries.

The push to ban Tik Tok in Kenya arose following the petition filed by Bridge Connection Consulting Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ben Ndolo before the National Assembly.

Ndolo accused the platform of posing a significant threat to the country’s cultural and religious values, blaming it for promoting violence, explicit sexual content, hate speech, vulgar language, and offensive behavior.