TikTok says ready to collaborate with Kenyan gov't to address moderation concerns

Chinese video-sharing platform TikTok says it is ready to collaborate with the Kenyan government to keep its local community safe on the platform.

This is in the wake of concerns that content shared on the popular platform promotes violence, sex, hate speech, vulgar language and offensive behaviour.

The Executive Officer of Bridget Connect Consultancy Bob Ndolo lodged a petition in Parliament last year wanting TikTok banned in the country, terming it a threat to cultural and religious values.

As a result, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula invited officials from the social media platform to respond to the petition.

TikTok's head of public policy and government relations for Sub-Saharan Africa, Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, explained the platform's commitment to upholding safety during a session in Parliament on Tuesday.

He said they are seeking to collaborate more closely with all stakeholders such as authorities, the media, civil society and parents address online safety, data privacy, and content moderation concerns.

“Keeping Kenyans safe online requires a collaborative effort as well as collective action, and our commitment to this is ongoing and unwavering,” said Mgwili.

While challenging the proposal to ban the platform in Kenya, the official 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.

“Freedom of expression is a right that is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic, and open, robust debates such as those you would see online are part of the lifeblood of democracy. Shutting down those spaces would be tantamount to silencing citizens, and denying them their constitutional rights,” said Mgwili.

He said safety remains one of their core priorities, citing TikTok’s Community Guidelines, the Family Pairing Tool which lets caregivers pair their accounts to that of their teens, and its Screen Time Management feature.

The Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) – the state corporation mandated with regulating the creation, broadcasting, possession, distribution and exhibition of films by rating them – last year said it would shut down TikTok’s Live feature in the country.

This followed concerns about the sharing of explicit content by some Kenyan TikTok users in the wee hours of the night. The feature was however not banned.

Instead, President William Ruto spoke to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew about the need for moderation.

Chew assured that inappropriate or offensive content would be expunged from the platform and the company agreed to set up a Kenyan office to coordinate its operations on the continent.

Last month, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki told Parliament that the government had written to TikTok owners over concerns that have been raised 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.

The security minister said Kenya is even considering barring state officials from using the popular app, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, on government gadgets.

Kindiki said social media is posing a huge security risk to the country, adding that the matter is actively being discussed at the National Security Council.

Kenya's eastern neighbour Somalia last year banned TikTok and Telegram, saying they were being used by "terrorists" to spread propaganda.

The United States House of Representatives last month passed a bill giving ByteDance about six months to divest TikTok’s U.S. assets or face a ban over security concerns.

Italy's competition authority in last month also fined three units of TikTok $10.91 million (Ksh.1.4 billion) in total for inadequate checks on content potentially harmful to young or vulnerable users.