Why these African countries are banning social media platforms | DW News Africa

DW News published this video item, entitled “Why these African countries are banning social media platforms | DW News Africa” – below is their description.

These days we hear more and more about disinformation, or fake news, as some like to call it. Many blame social media and point the finger at big-tech platforms such as Facebook, X formerly known as Twitter or TikTok for enabling the spread.

Now, several African countries are considering banning some of these platforms. Last week, for instance, Somalia banned TikTok and Telegram. In Kenya, members of parliament have been discussing similar restrictions for Tiktok. The argument is that these social media platforms allow disinformation to thrive and influence social discourse, causing harm, notably during conflicts or important events like national elections.

DW News YouTube Channel

Got a comment? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, below. Please note comments are moderated before publication.


About This Source - DW News

DW News is a global English-language news and information channel from German public international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, established in summer 2015.

Recent from DW News:

Congo president sworn in for second term | dw news 1

Congo president sworn in for second term | DW News

Iran Revolutionary Guards reportedly killed in airstrike in Damascus | DW News

US mulls seizing $300 billion in frozen Russian assets for Ukraine | DW News

In This Story: Kenya

Kenya is a country in East Africa with coastline on the Indian Ocean. It encompasses savannah, lakelands, the dramatic Great Rift Valley and mountain highlands. It’s also home to wildlife like lions, elephants and rhinos. From Nairobi, the capital, safaris visit the Maasai Mara Reserve, known for its annual wildebeest migrations, and Amboseli National Park, offering views of Tanzania’s 5,895m Mt. Kilimanjaro.

2 Recent Items: Kenya

Join the #LoongYearLoongDance challenge in Nairobi, Kenya

Kenyan pastor accused of cult that lures hundreds to their death

In This Story: Somalia

Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia is a sovereign country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Kenya to the southwest. Somalia has the longest coastline on Africa’s mainland.

2 Recent Items: Somalia

Could Ethiopia and Somalia go to war? | Inside Story

Encounters with Xi Jinping: He Always Puts People’s Interests First

In This Story: TikTok

TikTok, known in China as Douyin, is a Chinese video-sharing social networking service owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based Internet technology company founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming. It is used to create short music, lip-sync, dance, comedy and talent videos of 3 to 15 seconds, and short looping videos of 3 to 60 seconds.

ByteDance first launched Douyin for the Chinese market in September 2016. Later, TikTok was launched in 2017 for iOS and Android in most markets outside of mainland China; however, it only became available worldwide, including the United States, after merging with another Chinese social media service Musical.ly on 2 August 2018.

Download #Ad

3 Recent Items: TikTok

GMA Life: Sat, Jan 20, 2024

CES 2024: Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid

Crypto, stablecoins, payment systems, and regulation: Circle CEO weighs in from Davos

Leave a Comment

We don't require your email address, or your name, for anyone to leave a comment. If you do add an email address, you may be notified if there are replies to your comment - we won't use it for any other purpose. Please make respectful comments, which add value, and avoid personal attacks on others. Links are not allowed in comments - 99% of spam comments, attempt to post links. Please describe where people may find additional information - for example "visit the UN website" or "search Google for..." rather than posting a link. Comments failing to adhere to these guidelines will not be published.