Somalia’s Minister of Communications, Jama Hassan Khalif has announced a ban on Video app, TikTok, messaging app Telegram and online-betting website 1XBet over horrific content.
The minister said the ban is to limit the spread of indecent content and misinformation.
Khalif in a statement on Sunday stated that the apps were responsible for indecent content, and helping terrorists spread “horrific” messages to the public.
The statement read: “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 ban comes days after the country’s president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, announced preparations to launch a military offensive against the terrorist group al Shabaab and eliminate them within the next five months.
1XBet is popular in Somalia for betting, especially on soccer matches.
The popular video app, TikTok, owned by Chinese company Bytedance, have been threatened with ban recently. TikTok was accused of sharing user’s information to Chinese government.
“In recent years, China has used TikTok and other short videos to conduct cognitive operations to infiltrate other countries.
“There is also a high risk of users’ personal information being collected for the Chinese government,” MAC said.
