Tech –Government is mulling on whether to ban Tik Tok over bad content after the Chinese-owned tech firm failed to comply with standards.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki revealed in a statement he issued before the Parliamentary Committee on Thursday March 21, that the Chinese owned tech company was not complying with Kenyan government guidelines.
Making an appearance before the Public Petitions Committee, he said ByteDance was not adhering to the ethical standards in Kenya and, due to that, it is required to respond to a demand letter send to them failure government could take administrative actions.
Asked whether the plan is to immediately ban the social media platform, Prof Kindiki clarified that, at the moment, this could be a premature move.
“I don’t think we’re in a position to declare the dangers outweigh the benefits. It’s a bit premature. We should work out a program where we have a policy that is evidence-based to assess whether the risks are more prominent than the benefits,” he noted.
“It will be premature. What we’re doing right now is a procedural requirement by law. Whatever the measures the government will take is administrative action and there’s a procedure including listening to those affected.”
Soon, Kindiki noted, government will have to analyze both the benefits and risks in the platform and, if latter outweighs the former, then there will be need to push for its ouster.
Kenyans on Tik Tok have been accused of sharing unethical content that has infiltrated all ages hence affecting both the morals and cultural standards in the country.
