Govt Considers Banning Senior Officers From Using TikTok

The government is now contemplating barring senior officers from sharing certain information or using the popular Chinese App TikTok on government gadgets.

This wa announced by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki who appeared before the Public Petitions Committee of the National Assembly on Thursday, March 21.

Kindiki revealed that the matter is actively being discussed at the National Security Council, terming social media in general as a security risk for the country.

In addition, the government is contemplating forming another layer of defence forces to guard the country against the threats of cyber security.

A phone logged on to TikTok. /NEW YORK TIMES

“Today cyberspace is the theatre of risk, and therefore going forward we should invest in internal security and defence arrangements that will create a fourth defence tyre, we need both the military and internal security expertise and technology people to be the fourth arm of our defence to secure our cyberspace,” he told the committee.

“Cyber security and ICT technology threats are as big a priority as our other priorities on the defence of our land and our borders even as we collaborate with our brothers in the ministry of defence.”

Concerning TikTok, Kindiki informed the committee that the government has written to the owners of the app to explain the 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 its live feature.

"TikTok, and other data controllers and processors must comply with regulations under the Data Protection Act. The Government, through the office of the Data Protection Commissioner, has contacted TikTok and sought to ascertain the level of compliance to ensure the privacy of individuals is respected, provide details on the effectiveness of age verification and content filtering, and demonstrate compliance with requirements of the Data Protection Act, 2019," he added.

Kindiki noted that ByteDance Limited, a Chinese multi-billion company that owns TikTok would be required to respond to the letter, failure to which his ministry would take administrative action.

He, however, noted that it would be premature to ban TikTok in Kenya as of now without considering the views of the owners and those set to be affected.

He added that an extensive analysis would need to be carried out to weigh the risks and benefits of implementing an adverse measure such as banning the platform locally.

"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."

During the session, MPs also raised an alarm about 34 states in the US banning their officials from using TikTok on government devices due to security concerns.

The committee is considering a petition by Bob Ndolo, that wants TikTok to be banned in Kenya for allegedly promoting the decay of morals in the country and defrauding Kenyans.