Government to Consider Prohibiting Senior Officials from Using TikTok
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on Thursday revealed that the government is considering barring senior government officials from using TikTok.
“The question about TikTok is a very complex matter. The question of who to allow and who not to allow in this platform is before the National Security Council,” he said.
While appearing before the Petitions Committee of the National Assembly, CS Kindiki hinted that the government may not ban TikTok after all but will limit its usage to protect government data as applies to any other social media platform.
This is despite the pressure on the state to pull the plug on the Chinese-owned social media app.
“This matter is so complex and so consequential that it is not easy to look at one direction and decide whether to ban or not,” Kindiki said.
He added that the challenge abounding is that social media “has reached an irreversible stage in Kenya and the world.”
“What we need to ask is whether we want to shut ourselves out of this or how do we manage this space so that it does not destroy us,” the CS said.
The response followed a question by the committee session chair Marwa Maisori (Kuria East) on whether the government has a policy on how its employees should treat TikTok.
“Is there a policy by the government on how senior government officers use this application? Has the government required officers to use this app in a certain way?’’ Marwa asked.
Several senior government officials have active accounts.
Kindiki, however, told the committee that the issue was not straightforward, as it required a change of laws and policies.
“The potential of that space to hurt our security is big but also the potential and the irreversibility of cyberspace and its contribution to our development going forward is undeniable,” he said.
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The CS added that the government, through the office of the Data Commissioner, has contacted TikTok on the concerns around the platform.
He told MPs that the government was aware of how the platform has been used by criminals to spread malicious propaganda, identity theft, conduct fraud, and distribute sexual content.
“We have contacted TikTok and raised concerns relating to its processing activities. In particular, the office seeks to ascertain the level of compliance of TikTok with the Data Protection Act,” the CS said.
He said the aim is to understand what measures the state would take to ensure the privacy of individuals is respected.
The government has requested that TikTok demonstrate compliance with the law and provide details on the effectiveness of the age verification and content filtering – if any.
“This office has requested that TikTok implements additional Kenya-specific supplemental terms in its privacy policy.”
Kindiki indicated that the government has also requested TikTok to register with the Office of Data Commissioner as a data controller and data processor.
The committee is considering a petition by Bob Ndolo – a former nominated MCA.
Ndolo wants TikTok to be banned in Kenya for allegedly promoting the decay of morals in the country and defrauding Kenyans.
Government to Consider Prohibiting Senior Officials from Using TikTok