TikTok, the Chinese video-sharing platform, has expressed readiness to collaborate with the Kenyan government to ensure that its local community is safe while using the platform.
This comes amidst growing concerns that content shared on the platform promotes violence, hate speech, vulgar language, and offensive behaviour. Bob Ndolo, the executive officer of Bridget Connect Consultancy, raised the call for action against TikTok by filing a petition in Parliament last year calling for the platform’s ban in the country, citing a threat to cultural and religious values.
TikTok’s head of public policy and government relations for Sub-Saharan Africa, Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, has pledged the platform’s commitment to upholding safety during a session in Parliament. Mgwili-Sibanda explained that the platform is seeking to collaborate more closely with all stakeholders, including authorities, civil society, the media, and parents, to address concerns about online safety, data privacy, and content moderation.
While responding to the proposal to ban the platform in Kenya, Mgwili-Sibanda told legislators that TikTok plays a vital role in expanding the democratic and civic space for Kenyans to express themselves and participate in civic processes and debates on social matters. He added that shutting down such spaces would be tantamount to silencing citizens and violating their constitutional rights.
Mgwili-Sibanda emphasized that safety remains one of their core priorities, citing TikTok’s Community Guidelines, the Family Pairing Tool, and Screen Time Management feature, which they have implemented to ensure that users are protected while using the platform.
The Kenyan government has raised concerns about how the app is being misused by criminals to spread malicious propaganda, steal popular accounts through theft and impersonation, conduct fraud by duping Kenyans into fake forex traders, fake job recruitments, and distribute sexual content and intimate images through the Live feature. As a result, the government is actively discussing the issue at the National Security Council and has even considered barring state officials from using the popular app.
