President Ruto & TikTok CEO Agree To Remove Inappropriate Content

Kenyan President William Ruto and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew have agreed to remove all inappropriate and offensive content from the platform. The two leaders met on Thursday, August 24, 2023, and discussed ways to ensure that TikTok is a safe and positive platform for all users.

Ruto said that the government of Kenya has partnered with TikTok to monitor and review content. He stressed that the move is necessary to protect children and other vulnerable users from harmful content.

Chew assured Kenyans that TikTok will establish a Kenyan office that will coordinate operations in the continent. He also promised to employ more Kenyans to work for the platform.

“We are committed to ensuring that TikTok is a safe and positive platform for all users,” Chew said. “We will work closely with the Kenyan government to remove all inappropriate and offensive content.”

The agreement between Kenya and TikTok is a positive step towards making the platform a more safe and positive space for all users. It is also a sign of the growing importance of social media platforms in Africa.

The President’s concerns come amid a petition seeking the ban of the platform over inappropriate and explicit content displayed especially at night.

The petitioner, Ben Ndolo had alleged that the platform was promoting vulgarity, hate speech ], violence and explicit sexual content among young people.

He also fingered the Communications Authority (CA) for not regulating the platform appropriately.