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Rabat – The Somali government has announced a ban on popular social media platform TikTok, messaging application Telegram, and online-betting website 1XBet, citing its efforts to combat the spread of disturbing content and misinformation.
The decision, which was revealed by the country’s Minister of Communications, Jama Hassan Khalif, aims to curtail the activities of terrorist groups and “immoral” entities that exploit these platforms to disseminate harmful images and false information to the public, Reuters reported.
Minister Jama Hassan Khalif underscored the necessity of halting the use of these applications to prevent the proliferation of explicit and misleading content.
“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,” the minister’s statement read.
The insurgent group al Shabaab, notorious for its activities in the region, has been known to exploit platforms like TikTok and Telegram to promote its agenda and share content related to its operations. The ban on these platforms is an effort to limit the group’s reach and minimize the impact of their propaganda.
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This development comes in the wake of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s announcement of a forthcoming military offensive against al Shabaab.
Aimed at dismantling the al Qaeda-linked group, the operation is projected to eliminate their influence within the next five months. The ban on these platforms further underscores the government’s commitment to restricting the group’s communication channels and hindering their recruitment efforts.
Representatives of TikTok, Telegram, and 1XBet have not yet provided official responses regarding the ban. The government’s directive has mandated that internet service providers comply with the order by August 24, giving them a brief window to implement the necessary measures.
